


Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring

by TheEmberWoods



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, Youkai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:13:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 95,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmberWoods/pseuds/TheEmberWoods
Summary: Nozomi Inoue has lost a lot in the chilly winter months. For a demoness with a long life yet ahead of her, she has witnessed much; numerous betrayals, friendships, and losses. This is a snow-demoness's journey into the blizzard of life. Will she come out unscathed, or will she lose her way in the white haze? (Sesshōmaru/OC)





	1. A Master's Farewell

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the spring.

Chapter 1: A Master’s Farewell.

Things were different after my father died. The radical shift that spread like fire through the clan left some wary, but rarely did any speak out against it. After the corpses of those who did were found, their carcasses marred with claw marks of at least a dozen different demons, not many felt the urge to go against the usurper. It was not hard to figure out who had murdered our fellow clansmen, not when those in power used such methods to ‘claw’ themselves to power. Not when the same group that always accompanied the new head clansmen came into my master’s abode with the signs of a struggle carved onto their flesh. Not even my master uttered such things as ‘murder’ in the safety of his home anymore. After all, no one was safe anymore. They knew it the moment my father’s blood seeped into the floorboards of the living room. But, they were quite capable of ignoring such trifle things when it didn’t affect them and their own.

Self-preservation is one of the few things that kept the clan together now. It always had, but now it had been given a different meaning by the newly appointed leader. It was cruel, and lonely. The result of which ended poorly for those that lived outside the snowy forest we called home. Now, we were effectively trapped with these murderers: unable to speak out… Unwilling to speak out. An uncanny quiet had broken over the small settlement after the scorching of our previous way of life died down. At the time, I was too young to understand what it meant. The fearful looks exchanged by those far older – and as I once believed – far wiser than me, spread their anxiety and fear onto me.

But what I once perceived as an ignorant silence turned out to be quite the opposite. All eyes were on the Igarashi* clan when they rid themselves of the opposition my father presented. Everyone silently calculated their gains and losses based on what they promised and offered the people of Kitabayashi*. Even the rightful ruler did nothing to take his position back when he came of age, settling for the important sounding rank the Igarashi gave him and the ease at which he lived. I thought that the people would see the grand words and promises of triumph and honour for what they were: foolish. However, by the time the strongest of the three clans set out from the settlement for the first raid they had all but ignored the warnings my father had sounded during his short reign.

Following the success and adrenaline of the first raid, there quickly came a second and a third. Soon, we were back to the old ways of the clans and thriving at the bloodshed that war provided the power-hungry with. Warriors were decorated and revered, and soon it became the ‘duty’ of the young to grow strong and take their place. A decade passed in this manner, and in the cold winter the repercussions of such reckless behaviour caught up to us.

* * *

“You seem a little stiff, Inoue*. Maybe you should unwind with me later on tonight? I’m sure that I can make it worth your while…” Itsuki Igarashi, the handsome black-haired and blue eyed man that currently lay in front of me, turned to look back at me as he spoke. A crude smile splayed over his lips as his eyes tried to meet mine, but I merely pressed harder into the deep wound of the heir. The man’s muscles coiled and he writhed under my harsh touch, twisting himself back onto his stomach as the corner of my mouth twitching up into a satisfied smirk at the action. While good-looking and regarded as one of the strongest of his clan, set to inherit his father’s stolen position… He also inherited his father’s rotten personality.

Another raid had come back from the slaughter, and with it came a flood of adrenaline-filled demons who merely came to either retell their ‘glorious’ tales of conquest – which only contained the killing of a few unprepared and overwhelmed mortals, and what little glory that could be earned from such things disappeared like smoke with those details – or to make jabs at the Inoue clan due to the fact that I, an able-bodied Inoue demoness, would remain to waste time on learning medicine and other things they couldn’t possibly understand. Most of the time, it was a mix of the two. And, most of the time they brought an audience to scrutinize my work on the minor injuries that would be healed in a mere day or two’s rest. One such audience stood behind me, lining the back wall of my master’s healing hut.

“Come on now, Itsuki! Why would you want to get involved with _her_? She’s a pacifist, just like her father. That kind of cowardice rubs off!” Masuhiro Kitabayashi, the young man who was supposed to lead the village after he came of age and relieve my father of his duty, was one of the onlookers that crowded the room. He frequently followed after Itsuki, and many times I had mistook him for the man’s shadow. He was strong, and surprisingly rather quiet and soft-spoken when not trying to impress his idol from the Igarashi.

The laughter spread around the room, the former Kitabayashi heir’s words earning him wolfish grins and slaps on the back. I could feel the many eyes of the demons and demonesses wait for a response, burning beady holes into my back. They must have been terribly disappointed by my silence, as I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent a sharp comment from rolling off my tongue. After one too many incidents of brazenly saying what I wanted, the scolding from Master Katashi was one I’d rather not relive. I was careful to not break the surface of my skin, however. Dealing with these bloodhounds was tiring enough without the scent of blood riling them up, and being white-tiger demons certainly meant they would smell it this close – they have before. My, how our forefathers would weep over their respective line’s progression.

Healing had been a long-dying art in the village of the white-tiger demons, dubbed ‘Kitabayashi village’ after the clan that had settled in the pine forest and from their midst a leader was chosen by the three clans. The successors of which had all been descendants of the Kitabayashi clan until the Igarashi took over. Master Katashi had been the lone healer for over a century or so before I came along, and he doesn’t hesitate to remind me of that fact every chance he can. The story of how he became a healer stemmed from some kind of vague revelation he had in the midst of battle – one that changes in every telling, so it’s something to look forward to in each lecture.

The act of healing in most demon cultures is extremely rare, as the natural healing qualities most demons are born with negates any sort of necessity for the profession. After all, if they can’t heal from it with time, they’ve most likely been dealt a fatal blow. Most of the time, Master Katashi and I are simply applying a poultice to help this natural healing process along, increasing the rate at which the body recovers . Nothing more is required from us, but Master Katashi sometimes speaks of a legend passed down from healer to healer about a time where weapons were used against the demon race which slowed, if not prevented, the body from healing on its own. As a result of this, the healers of the white-tiger clan continued through the ages, no matter how unnecessary their set of skills seemed for the nomadic war-mongering clan of demons.

To be honest, most of Master Katashi’s reasoning seems to be based on more fiction than fact, but I don’t necessarily find hearing them unpleasant. Quite the contrary, actually. However, I believe that the main reason behind the survival of healers in the clans are mostly due to the fact that the Great Demon markings* have not appeared on any northern white-tiger demons for centuries. None of our most recent ancestors have ever obtained that much strength, and once the markings appear on a demon the higher the chances of a Great Demon line forming. Regular demons can’t even begin to match up to the strength of one who has received the mark of the Great Demon, and as the healing abilities rapidly progressed when the Mark made itself known the ancestors of the northern white-tiger clan must’ve used the existence of the healers as a way to combat the strength of rival Great Demons.

“I’m finished here.” My words rang through the room before I realized I had started packing up the medicinal herbs and bandages I had taken out when he had arrived, ”Perhaps now you can stop wasting my time in order to brag about your mediocre achievements, and find some fool who will congratulate you for all your meaningless words.”

In mere seconds after the unintended words slipped through my clenched teeth, a pull on the sleeve of my light blue kimono had me stumbling forwards as Itsuki whipped around to face me. His own kimono sleeves hung limply around his waist and his muscular upper body remained bare as he backed me into the wall behind me. Figures shifted like shadows in the corner of my eyes as the heir’s audience encircled us, waiting to see blood like the ravenous beasts they were. Red-stained fingers drifted from my kimono to my neck, wrapping around the soft flesh as he shoved me against the wall harshly.

“What did you say, snow woman*?” He snarled in my ear before straightening his back and towering over my form, pressing onto my neck with a controlled precision that limited my access to air whilst also pushing my chin up with the ridge of his thumb. Our blue eyes clashed: his smug and demanding, mine furious and bold.

Yes, he would’ve been quite attracted had he not been the beast that humans certainly had nightmares about. The rotten creature that made its home in the fringes of fearful minds, appearing as shadows in the minds of the paranoid whilst all the while being more dangerous than anything flickers of darkness could contain.

“Oh? I thought that the Igarashi clan boasted about their exceptional senses, perhaps they were wrong all along.” My eyes narrowed at him as he lifted me up the wall, and a soft _slap_ met my ear when the straw sole of my zōri* slipped off of my dangling feet and landed on the wooden flooring. I clenched my toes around the strap of the remaining zōri, trying to prevent it from running down my tabi* and falling to the floor next to the other half of the pair. But, as I did so, I forgot to bite my cheek again, “Perhaps the new heir will be just as useless at leading the clans like his father is.”

“You filthy half-breed*! I’m gonna free the Inoue from your stench!” He growled, tightening his grip on my throat until he effectively prevented air from reaching my lungs. For an added measure, after he realized that I had seen his action coming and made sure to breathe deeply before he cut off oxygen and was not giving the reaction he wanted, he reeled his fist back and slammed it into my stomach.

What oxygen I had left heaved itself from my body in broken gasps, and he loosened his grip slightly to let the precious air escape before clamping down on my throat once more. My body shook, struggling to make my burning lungs draw in the oxygen it desired. My fingers twitched, instinct telling them to free my neck from the pressure, but I wrapped them around the sleeves of my kimono instead of Itsuki’s wrists. With more effort than it was worth, my arms hung tense at my side as I refused the wretched beast and his pack from watching me scrabble at his fingers uselessly. There was no way I could overpower the white-tiger demon, being merely a snow demoness myself, and my pride refused to allow him the pleasure of seeing me struggle against his might.

Darkness crept into my vision, the splotches dancing in front of my eyes and blurring my sight until I had to clench the fabric of my kimono tightly in between my fingers to prevent myself from rubbing my eyes in an attempt to focus my vision once more. I ignored the sensation of my thundering heart and bursting lungs in favour of returning the cold glare Itsuki sent me, hoping that I somewhat looked threatening in my current state.

“Itsuki Igarashi, I believe you should think more carefully about the consequences of your actions. The death of a healer will not be overlooked by the elders, even _if_ you’re the son of Isamu.”

The second the voice sounded in the room, the Igarashi heir released his grasp on me. Falling to the floor, my lungs gulped down fresh air as I wobbled to my feet – still determined to glare into the eyes of my would-be killer. But he had turned his attention to Master Katashi, easily displaying the smooth expanse of skin to me. The wound in between the third and fourth rib on his left side had already closed, a fading pink scar in the place of the bloody opening that had been there moments prior. All eyes were turned to Master Katashi, the ring of demons that had formed around me long forgot my existence in the presence of the elder demon and most could not meet his judging and wise eye. But Itsuki did. He placed his hand on his hip as he did so, and I could imagine the fanged smirk he sent Master Katashi’s way as he looked down upon the man who contributed to the clan more than that cub could ever fathom.

My hand slid off the wall, no longer needing it to stand as my breathing evened out. But instead of returning to my side, my fingertips slowly crept their way up my body. Feigning the peculiar movement to be motivated by fixing my appearance, my fingers lingered on the bow of my black hakama*, smoothing the unwrinkled fabric as I glanced at the eyes of the demons in the room. All were still focused on the direction Master Katashi, who was hidden from my sight by the stature of Itsuki, those present wouldn’t abandon their fixation while the silent conversation between heir and elder was ongoing. My fingers continued on their path upwards, brushing over the top of the black obi* that peaked out from under the hakama as I stealthily crossed my arms over my waist. There, hidden by my obi, my right hand traced the outline of the small hidden blade I had stuffed into the band of fabric. While it bulged slightly, the hakama managed to conceal it slightly more than the obi itself would: the fact that a folding fan had found its place on the right side of my body while the blade hid on my left side usually prevented most from finding out about the weapon. After all, an ice demon might just carry two fans with her during warm weather to keep cool.

It was winter now, and had been for a while… but the idiots this village comprised of failed to notice that fact. Unfortunately, Master Katashi wasn’t one of those idiots. Before my fingers could even attempt to pull the small sheath from my obi – the intent being unsheathing the sharp blade and planting it firmly into the back of the disgraceful ‘heir’ and hopefully drive it into his heart from there – Master Katashi fluidly walked through the young demons and appeared before me.

His eyes met mine before noting the position of my right hand and its proximity to my blade, before flickering back to my face with a look that aged him enough for me to catch a glimpse of his true age. Like a petulant child, as I often was in his presence, my hand smoothly encircled my arm as I crossed my arms over my chest and I turned my head away from the sight of him. The walls that had surrounded me for the past decade or so had suddenly interested me far too much to return his gaze at the moment, after all. The faded colour of the wood and the spirals of age the once living material had been keeping track of was _surely_ riveting, it had only took me a few years to see that even dull and decrepit wood had a story I was more than willing to explore at that moment.

The motion managed to keep the guilt from showing on my face, as it provided me with the guise of innocence. But as Master Katashi’s look had been one of a parent scolding a bad child, I knew I would forever pretend like the thought of killing the heir _hadn’t_ crossed my mind at that moment. And he would forever pretend like he didn’t _know_ that it did.

The scowl that contorted my face at being found out certainly wouldn’t help him feign ignorance, though.

“That woman you’ve taken into your custody is a disgrace to Kitabayashi! My father might’ve tolerated that wretch’s existence on your account, Master Katashi, but when I become head of the clan I will not be so lenient!” Itsuki barked out his words, jerking his head towards the others and alerting them to the fact that they were leaving. They obediently went for the door, passing the Igarashi heir as he remained, glaring hotly into the side of my head until I turned to coolly meet his gaze.

“I hope your tail gets stuck in the door on your way out, jerk.”

Itsuki growled once more, murder flashing in his cold blue eyes as I imagined the numerous ways he was no doubt killing me in his mind right now. But, he let out a hiss through clenched teeth, and stormed out of Master Katashi’s hut. I trailed him around the corner, seeing his striped tail disappear from my sight and _unfortunately_ not get caught in the screen door.

“Inoue!” I winced at his tone, a sigh escaping through my lips – which he no doubt heard – and turned to face a glare that rivalled no other. After all, Master Katashi was the closest thing to family I had left. He had taken me in after my father died, even though he always complained about it. Sometimes I thought I caused him more trouble than anything has in his entire life… But he hasn’t kicked me out yet, and he’s never threatened to.

“…What do you want, old man?”

“Do you plan to get yourself killed after all this time?! It is certainly a shame that you haven’t the wisdom to keep your head as well as your pride!” He reached down and picked up the shoe I had and shook his head at it, as if pitying the poor thing for its poor luck in being chosen as my footwear.

“What would you suggest I do? Reward them for their arrogance and ignorance in equal measure? Stoke an ego while waiting for it to undo them?” Master Katashi approached me with zōri in hand as I continued in his silence, “Bah, don’t mock me with such notions! A demon with any shred of pride shouldn’t concede to such animals! I do not care **_what_** they may believe will make their point, it only serves to prove _mine_!”

The old demon knelt down in front of me, and held out his hand for my foot.

“H-hey! I _am_ capable of putting it back on myself, you know!” But, even as I said it, my foot lifted on its own and placed itself in Master Katashi’s grasp. He held it gingerly, carefully slipping on the lost zōri (a valiant warrior in battle, too soon had he departed from my foot) before standing up once more and in a split second returned to ‘lecture mode’.

“You nearly died because of that foolish pride, Nozomi! Several times!” Master Katashi retreated further into his hut, and retrieved a bow and quiver filled with arrows from its decorative place on the wall.

He had been a warrior long before he had been a healer, and his choice of weapon was that which he held in his hands. The long bow’s handle was tattered beyond saving, and the recently replaced bowstring was only a testament to the long-lived nature of the weapon. In my time training under him, I had come to realize that Master Katashi thought many things were mandatory for those in the healing profession. One of the qualifications had apparently been archery and the elder Kitabayashi clansman had instructed me in this area for many years – although I was sure at this point most of what he taught me that he _claimed_ was a healer’s duty had really been because he personally wanted me to learn. I didn’t mind, and the argument continued as we made our way out the back of the hut and trekked into the woods. Master Katashi had set up his own archery range far into the now snow-covered woods so that the white-tiger demons wouldn’t find out that he had been training me.

He said it was because he didn’t want the others to realize just how horribly they butchered the art of archery like they butchered most things, but part of me at least recognized the fact that he was concerned for me. While being a healer had in fact saved me from certain death years ago, additional attention might not be welcome if I wanted to live…

Which is why most arguments we had stemmed from the fact that I often forgot to hold my tongue.

“It is not foolish pride! Death does not scare me-!” I spoke to his back, as he was leading me through the woods, weaving his way through the pine trees with ease and barely leaving any tracks in the snow. However, I didn’t leave any tracks in my wake. I never left tracks in the snow.

**“IT SHOULD!”**

His raised voice was unexpected, and as he turned back to face me in the time it took me to blink at the loudest I had ever heard him speak. Birds called out a warning in the trees before they fled the area, startled by the sound. Then it was quiet, and the blue eyes frequently passed down in the white-tiger clan evaluated one another carefully. I didn’t move, afraid to break Master Katashi out of whatever he was seeing as his eyes grew unfocused and stared off into the distance. Afraid to draw his attention to myself, I remained as still as a sculpture, the wind that trickled through the forest didn’t even rustle my clothes or move a hair on my head.

Before too much time passed, he returned to the present. He turned on his heel and fumed silently as I trailed behind, placing a generous amount of distance between us. Not one word had been spoken as we reached the targets, and I moved out of habit as I retrieved the bow and quiver from his hands and got in position.

Taking slow deep breaths, I took aim at the target. The one that was high up on the park of the pine tree that when I had first seen it I thought it was impossible to hit the bullseye from the ground. How naïve I was. Notching an arrow to the bow, I pulled the string back and lined up the shot. I breathed in. Then I let my breath escape my body and released the arrow.

_Thunk._

It hit its mark. As did all the others, until the quiver was empty.

But Master Katashi did not seem ready to speak yet, and climbing the tree to retrieve the arrows to continue practicing would certainly draw him out of the daze he currently found himself in. So, without pausing in the motion of drawing an arrow from the empty quiver, I materialized my own arrow. Bringing it to the bow, the crystalline ice shone in the cloud-covered sunlight that peered into the woods. Despite being made completely out of ice, it was a perfect copy of the arrows I had been firing before. My breath clouded the air as I continued, aim unhindered by the different material. It wasn’t until every target had multiple arrows clustered around the center when a voice spoke out, breaking the uneasy silence.

“It _should_ scare you, Nozomi.”

He came closer, and I lowered the bow that had served him in many battles as he did so. The ice arrow I had been holding turned to snow at my command, as did the arrows embedded into the targets. In doing so, the chilly air warmed, and my breath was no longer visible. Master Katashi’s still was, the puff of cloud appearing every now and then as he spoke, the cold air of winter drawing a tint of red to his wrinkled cheeks. With a curious eye, I glanced towards the sky and idly noted its darkening tint.

“And right now I know you think nothing of what eventually will claim us all. For now, that’s alright. When I was your age nothing fazed me – if you can believe I was anything but old. Nothing scared me.” He ripped a strip of cloth from his kimono’s sleeve, absently plucking at the frayed ends that resulted before stooping to enclose a handful of snow in the fabric before continuing.

“Your father is dead. Much too soon: a meaningless death cut it shamefully short. Right now death is nothing but the final destination to all life… And I know that eventually your anger and rage will lessen as you begin to understand what death means. What that loss feels like. Your anger will turn to grief, and I know that when that happens it will be the most painful thing for you. And before you come up with some sort of smart comment, I lost my wife and newborn when I was very young. For years, all I could see was this burning red that consumed the whole world in its blaze. Eventually, the rage subsided and I cleared my mind, requesting to study under the healer. I wanted to find myself underneath the scent of all that blood.”

The snow had melted in his makeshift pouch, and as the water dripped from his hands he glanced at it as if he had forgotten it was there. He unravelled it, shaking the excess water and snow from the cloth before he gently tilted my head upwards and started carefully washing my neck. The action reminded me of the earlier… disagreement… with Itsuki, and the blood-stained hands he had touched me with. Shifting my head slightly, I did find the skin to be slightly sticky, and glancing down to my kimono sleeve I could see the red stain had smudged itself into a glorious mess. It wasn’t too big of a problem, as a short wave of the demonic energy of demons could typically rid one of such things, on clothes or skin alike. However, the smell of what I then recognized as the iron of human blood greeted my senses and I wrinkled my nose at the scent.

“While I will always wish you no pain, I hope you do find someone who makes you fear death. Makes you fear that loss. No matter how long demons live, we die eventually. We are not eternal, try as we might.” He sighed, stepping back and carefully placing the reddened piece of green cloth on a nearby target before facing me once more, “But that is neither here nor there. Don’t misunderstand me, Nozomi. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t want revenge, that you shouldn’t crave it…. But you were given a rare gift. I think it would be a great shame if you wasted it on the likes of the demons who murdered your father.”

I took in his words, trying my best to understand what he was trying to teach me with this lecture… But I found myself only understanding the last part. It seemed as if he didn’t mean for me to understand all of it right now either, but I knew he wanted to leave me some sort of puzzle to figure out after he left.

Not for the land of the dead, mind you. The land of the living. The lives of humans. He had been planning his departure long before he decided to look after me, that much was clear. I had never really taken him to have this… fascination with humans, but I never thought he would be serious about taking me on as an apprentice either. Although, the latter was probably due to the inane practices he instructed me on in the beginning. I mean, who could possibly understand the thought process behind having an apprentice healer balancing thick books on their head for hours at a time? Now that I think about it, it was probably payback for all the trouble he knew I would cause him…

That clever old man…

“I’ll ask you one more time, Nozomi. And I will never ask you again. Will you come with me to the human’s world? Will you not come with me and experience something… different? Something that, at its core, might not be as murky and self-serving as what we have witnessed in this place? In our very home?”

Master Katashi had asked me this occasionally leading up to his departure today. He wanted to travel through the villages of humans, and live in their world. It seemed like a fool’s dream, but if anyone had the chance to pull such a thing off, it would be him. The human-like form of a white-tiger demon didn’t seem too far off from that of a human after all. The pointed human ears, white and black striped tail, and the stunning blue eyes could be easily hidden by a hat and loose pants. If Master Katashi paraded around in a monk’s garbs, few humans would ever question the demon healer. It would be easier for a demon such as myself to live undetected by humans, since I lacked the tail or animal-like appearance that identified most as demons.

Well, not aging would eventually become a problem… But Master Katashi wanted to travel, so he probably wouldn’t stay in any one village for too long. He’d be okay, even without me.

“…I think that you’ll be disappointed with what you find, Master Katashi. You think too highly of the humans.”

“Perhaps, Nozomi.” He gave me a wistful smile at the answer I had given many times before, “But I think I will be more disappointed if I don’t find that out for myself.”

A heartbeat of silence passed, and as returning to the village soon crossed my mind, my thoughts drifted towards the Igarashi heir and his father. My fingers twitched over the blade hidden in my obi.

“…I think I’m going to end up disappointing you very soon.”

The admittance of my planned revenge disappointing my teacher stung, just like a knife pressed silently into my beating heart. I refused to meet his eye and fiddled with the tightly-wound string that was fixed onto Master Katashi’s bow. He chuckled softly, and my eyes immediately lifted to view the source of the strange sound.

“My dear, you couldn’t disappoint me even if you tried.” A large smile spread itself across his face as he spoke, a softness that rarely showed itself was now freely pulling at his lips. He looked like a large weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

…If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve mistaken Master Katashi for the young demon he still acted like. I guess he might’ve been young. _Once._ A very, _very_ long time ago.

With that, Master Katashi turned to leave with nothing other than what he had on him. He didn’t even glance back at the bow that remained in my hands.

But of course, I couldn’t just let him have the last word. He had already reached the edge of the practice range, passing by the largest of the targets – the one I had started with years ago – on his way out of the forest.

“You be careful out there, old man! Make sure those bones don’t rot too soon. You’re not nearly old enough for that, yet!”

I saw him shake his head before disappearing from my sight. It was a strange feeling, one that lasted long after I retrieved the arrows and returned to ~~Master Katashi’s~~ my hut. It hung heavy over my heart for quite some time as I simply stood in the empty building for a while, unable to do anything but bask in the stillness that now consumed the hut.

Master Katashi was gone, and now only one thing kept me in the village of Kitabayashi: and it was hardly a thought a ‘pacifist’ should have.

**“Everyone! Grab your weapons!”**

The loud shout shook me from my stupor, and I slowly made my way to the front door and slid it open. Peering outside, I could see a handful of white-tiger demons and demonesses running into the center of the village, making such a ruckus that soon everyone had gone to see what was going on about.

Masuhiro Kitabayashi stood at the center, panting loudly and out of breath. Itsuki went up to him, asking what had happened presumably. Masuhiro wasn’t quiet about his answer.

**“A priestess is coming!”**

No one reacted, unsure why Masuhiro was acting like this was the end of the world. The northern white-tiger clans had faced more than enough priestesses and monks to warrant panic at such words.

**“And… She’s already single-handedly killed everyone stationed at the edge of the forest!”**

This… this caused a panic. There was always a group of no less than thirty white-tiger demons guarding the entrance into the forest: a way to dissuade other demons from settling in the area and so that humans avoid crossing by the forest on their travels.

For a priestess to single-handedly defeat all of them…

I pressed my back up against the wall, taking deep breaths in order to calm my thundering heart and shaking hands.

I could only hope that this priestess didn’t see Master Katashi on his way out.

* * *

  ***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

 

***Igarashi clan** : a clan of white-tiger demons that settled down with two other clans and started to from a village. They recently took power for themselves. Igarashi translates to: “Fifty storms”.

***Kitabayashi clan** : the clan of white-tiger demons that founded a village. Power has been kept in the family for generations, but recently the Igarashi have taken their power for themselves while the Kitabayashi heir was not of age to inherit the position. Kitabayashi translates to “North forest”

***Kitabayashi** is also the name for the village the clan founded in the forests in the northern regions.

***Inoue clan** : a clan of white-tiger demons that settled down with two other clans and started to form a village. The task to guide the clans of white-tiger demons fell to them when the Kitabayashi heir had not yet come of age. They have recently fell out of favour with the other clans due to the death of Hayate Inoue and the Igarashi clan’s rise to power. Nozomi belongs this clan.

***Great Demon markings** : the marks a demon receives when they ascend the ranks of a regular demon into one of great strength and skill. This process usually takes centuries upon centuries, as many years of battle and surviving as a regular demon in this harsh world are required. Even then, the mark is not guaranteed. Demons with these markings frequently pass their strength onto their offspring, and as a result some demons are born with the markings.

***snow woman** : Nozomi’s a yuki-onna, translated into a “snow woman” or “snow demon”. As the name implies, most of her abilities deal with snow and cold.

***zōri** : a type of footwear, similar to a flip-flop.

***tabi** : ankle-high socks where the fabric creates a separation between the big toe and the other toes.

***half-breed** : demons whose parents are of two different species of demon. Half-breeds only take after one of their parent’s breed, and are generally regarded as ‘impure’ by demons and are regarded as a weaker type of demon. Unlike half-demons (human/demon), half-breeds are full demon (albeit of two different breeds: demon1/demon2) and do not share the ‘weakness’ of turning human each month. Half-breeds **cannot** change what type of demon they are (i.e. turning from their mother’s breed into their father’s, or vice-versa).

***hakama** : a type of traditional Japanese clothing, they are tied at the waist and fall to the ankles. It is worn over a kimono.

***obi** : a type of ‘sash’ used in traditional Japanese dress.

**Demon/Yōkai:** While these two terms are very different, this story will be using the term 'Demon'.


	2. Fangless, Clawless.

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the spring.

Chapter 2: Fangless, Clawless.

The sound of snow crunching underfoot thundered throughout the village. Many, if not all of the demons who inhabited the woods, had started preparing for the battle against the priestess. As I listened to the shouts that sounded as the demons organized their efforts and the clank of metal from the armour and weapons that were brought from the armoury as it headed towards the center of the village, the path of which passed the thin walls of the old healer’s hut, I slowly regained myself.

This was exactly what my father had been hoping to prevent when he halted the raids on neighboring villages when the clans fell under his leadership: the appearance of a strong priestess or monk. I wasn’t too sure if the sudden stop of the raids would’ve prevented humans from seeking out aid in protecting their lives… But it seemed like he was the only one who saw this coming. Shaking my head at the thought of how things could have gone, I decided to focus on how things had ended up. There was one major concern, one that triumphed over the presence of the priestess: Master Katashi.

While he _had_ decided to leave for the human villages, and our goodbyes had already been said… My heart bled at the thought of the elder demon not being able to even make it to the villages he had so dearly wanted to see. My body moved forwards, towards the back exit as I planned my route through the woods again. His wellbeing was no longer my concern, but it wouldn’t hurt to figure out if he got through the forest alright. Besides, the bloodied strip of his kimono still sat atop one of the many targets he had set up in the woods. Walking a little further into the woods wouldn’t be going out of my way to check on him.

With a few steps, I crossed the small room, stopping in front of the screen of the back door when a shadow fell over it. Pausing, I glanced at the front door which was visible from where I was standing. Another shadow stood guard over the screen, joined by one more as the seconds slipped by. The quiver slipped from my hand and rested up against the wall near the door, the bow soon joining it. Returning my gaze to the silhouette in front of me, I brought my fingers up to my obi and reached for the small knife hidden underneath the fabric. Once the cool wooden sheath was in my grasp, I hid it from sight once more as it disappeared into my kimono’s left sleeve.

“What’s the matter, Inoue? Gonna run off after your Master now that a priestess comes walking up our road?” The shadow shifted, shrinking down as the speaker came closer to the door. After a heartbeat of silence, long fingers reached around the screen and lifted it away from the doorframe, revealing Itsuki as he grinned down at me, “It seems like you’re not only a pacifist, you’re a coward as well!”

He slunk into my home, the armour that he wore over his grey kimono clanking unceremoniously as he did so. His long black hair had been tied back into a loose ponytail that trailed down his unarmoured back – a tradition in the clans. Battle was everything to these foolish demons. Scars on the back were disgraceful as they showed the weakness in a warrior: an unarmoured back would become scarred if you let yourself get carried away. A rather unwise practice. The amount of effort undergone to keep the front armour on without the back armour was wasted it resulted in a lattice of rope decorating the back instead of actual armour protecting it.

His eyes glinted at me like daggers, circling around me in measured steps as I heard his fellow clansmen enter from the front door.

“My, my, Igarashi. Back again so soon? If I had known the neighbors were so nosy, I would’ve moved out a long time ago.” My cold eyes met his, and without Master Katashi to remind me of holding my tongue I didn’t even hesitate to continue, “And I’m sorry to say, there is no cure for a wounded ego _or_ foolishness. But please, _do_ feel free to waste my time anyway.”

He paused in his stalking, coming to a slow halt as behind me as he growled with rage. With such a temper, it was hard to believe that the false heir was older than myself. Although, I suppose that’s more of his father’s influence and his own unfaltering ego than anything else. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who would refuse Itsuki anything in the three clans, save for the seldom times his father denied him – times which mostly concerned ending my life, so I’ve been told.

The hairs on my neck raised when the demon’s breath fell on my skin. My head tilted itself away from him before I could restrain myself, creating some distance which he soon closed. His fingers caught the stray strands of ebony hair that hadn’t shifted with the ponytail at my attempt to escape Itsuki’s uncomfortable closeness. Moving the strand back into place as my hair trailed my back, he then reached up and fiddled with the scarlet bow that kept the source of the ponytail wrapped around itself in the shape of a bun. His other hand found itself sliding up my arms, pausing at my shoulder before reaching for the ribbon’s twin: holding up the bun that sat across from the first.

“You know, half-breed… It really is too bad your ‘master’ never taught you proper manners.” His whispers reached my ear easily, and I didn’t bother to hide the scowl on my face that only deepened when I felt the ribbon loosening at his fingertips, “But, some still believe that there’s still a chance for you to be taught your place. I’m sure with the proper instructor, you might even become… _desirable_ … to some.”

My body stiffened in a mix of fury and loathing. My right hand carefully delved into the folds of my kimono’s left sleeve, clenching tightly around the hidden sheath. As smoothly and silently as I could muster, I unsheathed the blade. Holding tightly to the handle of the small knife, the sheath fell silently into the fabric of my sleeve once more. My quiet breaths clouded the stagnant air as the scarlet ribbons fell from my head, spilling the carefully wound locks of hair over my left shoulder and down my back. The typically straight strands were curved from the amount of time they had spent curled around each other, but all the same the ebony ends fell in line with my fingertips. My left forefinger twirled itself around the hair that fell in front of my figure as my right hand drew withdrew from the sleeve, hard metal pressing against the soft flesh of my underarm.

“You should be more appreciative of Master Katashi, Itsuki Igarashi.” The threat that lingered in those words would be lost to anyone else but my master himself. No other had stifled more attempts on the false heir’s life with merely a knowing glance, and merely the thought of the elder healer had stayed my hand on more than one occasion where he had not been there in person to stop me. Master Katashi had saved my life, after all. He risked his entire reputation on the continuation of my life, and his offers to join him had always been a poorly concealed attempt to continue saving my life.

Which is why Itsuki’s interruption was all the more infuriating. I had no time to spend on this pitiful cub, and the unplanned slaying of the rotten demon annoyed me to no end. While impulse had occasionally caused murderous thoughts to rise, I would have preferred my revenge to have been planned. That way, both Itsuki and his father could face the same fate cleanly with no loose ends tying me up in this putrid village. However, as Master Katashi had often lectured, things had a tendency to not go as planned.

Which is why I decided to listen to impulse.

The wooden floorboards groaned underneath me as my exhale clouded the air. Metal glinted coldly in the corner of my eye as the blade that had pressed against my skin now stuck out from my hand, my thumb resting on the butt of the handle. I spun on my left heel, rotating my body around as my right foot shot out beside the heir’s foot. The blade cut through the chilled air as it followed the forceful arc of my hand, my eyes trained on the widening blue eye chosen to become its new sheathe.

Resistance met my blade and the scent of demon blood pervaded my senses, the thickness of the smell had me flattening my tongue against the roof of my mouth to prevent the taste of copper from sticking to my throat. But as I battled with the scent of the scion’s blood, the resistance gave way and the blade slunk into his eyes with a repulsive squelch.

“After all, Master Katashi is the only reason I haven’t done this sooner.”

There was a moment of shocked silence, in which I took notice of those that had crept into the healing hut from the front door. Masuhiro stood by the door, the screen held between his fingers slipped from his grasp as the silence stretched on. A young pale-faced Inoue cub by the name of Haruka stood near the herb-filled shelves built into the wall and was revolted by the heir’s cry – she was too young to have been on a raid yet, and did not wear her armour well. Sota Igarashi, younger brother of Takumi (one of Itsuki’s devout followers and his cousin) was also present. The smile on his face was disconcerting, but the Igarashi’s always craved violence far more than the other clans. Perhaps it was simply their upbringing to seek ways to bring pain and misfortune to others. Perhaps it was simply the nature of demons.

I shifted the blade, then yanked the metal out at a different angle as I listened to him howl in pain. With a few quick steps backwards I was out of range from his blindly reaching hands, the blade safely tucked back into its sheath and hidden from the eyes of the demons by my kimono’s sleeve. The quiver was slung over my shoulder, and the wooden bow was tightly held in my grasp as my fingers reached for the screen of the backdoor. But I was thrown to the ground before my fingertips ever brushed the woven sheet. Itsuki stood over me, harshly turning me onto my side with a swift kick to my side that had me gasping quietly for air.

“You mongrel! How dare you turn against me?! You should be grovelling at my feet like the half-breed you are!” His anger faded and he removed his bloodied hand from his gaping wound as he growled lowly, leaning in close to my face “I’ll make you regret this.”

“ **Itsuki.** ” We both stilled at the gravelly voice, “ **I believe I told you to leave the healer alone. With Master Katashi gone, we cannot afford your ‘lessons’. _I_** **will not allow it.** ” The old floorboards creaked as the armoured Isamu Igarashi made his way deeper into the abode.

“But father-!!”

“ **Stop with your mewling, cub.** ” He dismissed his son as he knelt down in front of me, and I adamantly refused to meet his gaze or accept the hand he offered, “Although, it’s quite surprising to know our half-breed healer _can_ actually draw a little blood – even without our majestic fangs or claws.” He spat out the word ‘half-breed’ as if it was toxic, as much as he tried to conceal his spite.

“I seem to be doing just fine against your son, Isamu.” I glared up at his icy blue eyes as I let a wry smile curl my lips, “Even without fangs or claws.”

“Father, that’s just right! We should give the half-breed a trial to prove her worthiness as that old fool’s successor!” Isamu stood with a scowl and turned to face his son, who was speaking animatedly in his excitement, “At least he was a former white-tiger warrior before he retired and became a _healer_. The healer of the clans is supposed to be held in high regard by all, right? How can we hold the half-breed in high regard when she’s never had the blood of our prey on her hands?! Let’s make her show us her ability in battle! That priestess – _the one who’s killed our kin_ – let’s set the half-breed on her!”

While he was talking to his father, snide glances were cast my way as he sneered at his brilliant idea: _let the priestess kill the half-breed, and rid us of her!_ Not a bad plan, for a foolish cub. If I kill the priestess, their problem is solved and I would be ‘accepted’ into the village, (until the next enemy comes looking for a fight, anyway), if I die, then Itsuki and his gang are happy.

_Smack!_ _Crash!_

“Did I not say to be quiet, Itsuki? Know your place.”

The sharp slap Isamu gave him sent the heir flying into the wall of the healing hut, rattling the structure as Isamu turned back to me and hauled me up roughly by the crook of my elbow. The demons that had been frozen in place made themselves scarce as they scurried over to Itsuki silently, although Masuhiro sent me a backwards glance which I ignored pointedly.

“Now, half-breed. Let’s see if you _can_ get rid of the priestess. _Even without fangs or claws_.” The same sneer I had seen on Itsuki’s face moments before twisted over Isamu’s as he glanced down at the bow I held, “It seems Master Katashi had enough sense to train you, so there’s no reason you can’t draw a little _more_ , huh, half-breed?”

He released my arm from his grip, and spun around to leave the hut. I retrieved the scarlet ribbons that had been discarded on the floor before following his retreating form languidly. He reached the screen door in easy strides, and a scowl crossed his face as he saw the time I took with my steps. I purposefully slowed, and the creases in his frown deepened. My lips curled upwards.

“Hurry yourself along, half-breed.”

I didn’t.

He growled, reaching out a long limb and grasping the flesh of my arm under his fingers, pulling me along as I still attempted to trail behind him slowly. He squeezed my arm tighter, and as I felt a bruise in the shape of a hand form underneath my skin I soon gave up the petulant act. He prowled through the light layer of snow that had fallen over the roads while I avoided his sunken footsteps, ignoring the looks and whispers of armour-clad demons milling around as we made our way towards the entrance to Kitabayashi village.

The snow of the circular clearing had already been beaten down by dozens of heavy footfalls, turning the powder into slush underfoot. Owners of said footfalls all stood at the edge of the entrance in a somewhat askew semi-circle, and all of them jumped to attention the moment Isamu stepped past the first few clansmen. They quickly formed ranks, getting themselves organised now that their ‘leader’ had shown himself. After their shuffling had ceased, he spoke.

“Fellow clansmen of Kitabayashi! As you know, there is a priestess on her way here. Our own half-breed healer–” He patted me roughly on the shoulder and pressed into the juncture of my neck and shoulder with his fingers after a second bone-rattling tap, “has decided to finally open herself to our customs and shed the blood of our prey. Turns out, she’s not quite the pacifist she made herself out to be!”

The crowd stomped their feet at Isamu’s announcement. He said more, but I was forgotten to the crowd and to him the second he opened his mouth again – completely enraptured by the sound of his own voice and the way his listeners looked up to him with awe. After several minutes of ceaseless praising of himself and his lineage, and how that will bring them victory in this battle and the battles to come, it was only when I shifted myself in his grasp did he seem to remember he was holding onto me.

“-and it’s now time for us to avenge our kin!”

I was shoved roughly out of the semi-circle that had been formed: the bodies of white-tiger demons blocking my path back into Kitabayashi village whilst the main entrance (and exit) of the village lay unguarded before me. It looked more like a banishment than a battle.

Shrugging, I slung the quiver off of my shoulder and threw down Katashi’s bow before I placed my hair back up into its intricate style: two buns wound tightly on my head with the remaining hair falling down from them and acting as two ponytails on the sides of my head, the scarlet ribbons keeping everything tied up. As I picked the quiver off the wet ground, adjusting it to hang across my body, and the bow had found itself back into my hands, coming up the main road into Kitabayashi village the figure of a woman appeared.

 She approached quickly, a large sword hung at her hip and over her priestess attire (a red hakama worn over a white kimono, as Master Katashi had explained was the fashion for humans) she wore plate armour that covered her shoulders and torso, attached to the latter were some plates that made up a ‘skirt’ of armour that rested against her thighs. She looked young, but knowing that a human’s outer appearance aged a lot quicker than a demon’s, I estimated that she was in her ‘late teenage’ years (another term used by Master Katashi).

With a quick search for a tail and a glance at the ear that held her long black hair from falling into her face, I noted that a human’s appearance – like Master Katashi had explained – looked much like my own: besides the pointed ears, I could pass easily for a human. As she came closer, the strength of her spiritual power became readily apparent. With her powers, it would be easy to slaughter most – if not all – of the demons gathered to watch the spectacle. The fact that she dealt with the white-tiger demons stationed outside of Kitabayashi seemed far more likely, and I might even venture to guess she didn’t even have to breathe heavily afterwards.

She paused at the end of the road, just before the trees parted and revealed the circular clearing and the wooden homes that spread out behind it. I could feel her eyes sizing those behind me up, before her gaze turned to my own figure. As I scrutinized her closely, I could see four light purple marks on her forehead forming a diamond-like shape. I took them to be the ‘great demon’ marks of humans – the manifestation of superior spiritual power as a mark on the body. While I wasn’t too experienced with humans myself, the fact that the white-tiger demons of this village could make frequent trips out and claim the lives of many humans without too much trouble…

The energy I was sensing from her would’ve been more than enough to stop them in their tracks: which means she was unusual for her species. Unusual in this area at the very least.

“Come on, half-breed! Get on with it!”

“Yeah, draw some blood, _healer_!”

“C’mon! Give us a fight!”

The calls of the bloodhounds stirred me from my thoughts, and I met her eyes as I chilled the air in the clearing enough to have my breath billow out visibly as I exhaled. She tensed, drawing her sword as I formed a crystalline arrow and notched it to the wooden bow.

Pulling back the string, I aimed it at her. My feet left the ground as I jumped over the swing of her sword, turning around in mid-air as I took aim at my target once more, who currently stood out from the crowd of demons standing behind them. On the exhale, my fingers released the bowstring and the ice arrow flew through the air before it hit its mark, piercing into the metal plate of armour that was supposed to protect the chest from regular arrows.

As I landed, the target fell to their knees, and the priestess looked at me with wide eyes.

I raised an eyebrow at her, making my way closer to her as the white-tiger demons closed the semi-circle around us, blocking off the road out of the village now as well. My words were almost drowned out by the shouting of demons, but the priestess gave me a very confused look as I leaned in to whisper in her ear (making sure to keep an eye on the sword she held as I did so).

“Let’s see what you can do, priestess.” She looked around, taking in the enraged demons of Kitabayashi before her eyes lingered on the quickly reddening patch of snow that seeped from the recently deceased leader of the Igarashi clan, the ice arrow sticking out of his chest bursting into shards and scattering through the air, embedding themselves into nearby demons that surrounded the body.

After a moment passed, she whirled around and pressed her back against mine as we squared off together against the advancing demons.

“You know, without any fangs or claws.”


	3. The Prey of a Snow Demoness

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the spring.

Chapter 3: The Prey of a Snow Demoness

Snowflakes fell to the ground unhurriedly, pattering the ground in another blanket of snow that soon mixed into slush as demons jumped into battle. Ducking under the claws of a fellow Inoue, a smile found itself tugging at my lips. The energy of the fallen head of the clans faded, beings invisible to my eye carrying his spirit to the Netherworld as his empty body grew colder in his spirit’s absence. It was not until that moment – when I could no longer feel Isamu Igarashi’s presence upon this world – that I felt my father’s death avenged.

An arrow sunk into the flesh of the Inoue, piercing through the metal chest armor she wore with ease. Blood seeped into the wet ground as the snow grew heavier and the wind subtly howled through the trees. A storm would soon be blowing through the Kitabayashi forest – a good cover for a snow demoness like me to escape in.

The sight of scarlet blood made my thoughts drift to what my father would think about my actions thus far. He probably hoped that his daughter wouldn’t be slaying his own, that’s for sure. And so, I decided to allow Isamu’s passing to avenge a different death in order to clear my father’s noble name of his murderer’s death.

The death of my childhood would be a good substitute, I mused as another arrow breached the iron of a chest plate. My earlier years had been consumed with plotting the death of the white tiger demon. While only three decades had been thrown away in devotion to this cause, years which will eventually amount to nothing but a small, singular snowflake of time in the long life yet ahead of me, I felt it was an equivalent death to avenge. With a quick glance to the priestess fighting beside me, easily overpowering and purifying demons one after another, I brought my attention back to the task at hand and plunged an arrow into the heart of a demon advancing on the human woman as she was occupied with pulling her sword out of the fresh corpse of an Igarashi cub. Noticing the demon’s approach just as my arrow sunk into the flesh, her eyes swivelled over to mine and sent a quick – but hesitant – nod my way before continuing her onslaught.

Despite my initial misgivings, we fought quite well together. Given that only about fifteen white tiger demons had fallen prey to us, we had actually fallen into an efficient pattern after a few of less-than-perfect attempts to fight off the demons together. The priestess would swing her sword masterfully while imbuing it with her powerful spiritual energy, injuring – if not purifying – multiple demons, and then I would follow up and finish off the few surviving demons as well as any that got to close to her while her attention was diverted.

 Even with us fighting side-by-side, there was still an uneasy and brittle partnership between us. She seemed more at ease with this partnership than I was: only throwing a few nervous glances over her shoulder at me while readying her blade before throwing herself back into the battle. While the first few times had insulted me – as it was like she was confident in her ability to intercept me if I ever turned on her – I eventually summed up her nonchalance at turning her back to me to be the product of the bow in my hand as well as her young age. While she handled the blade and her spiritual powers well, her lack of experience showed itself when she failed to keep an eye on her surroundings – opening herself to demons who then caught her off-guard.

But even with my own comparative young age, I ensured that my back was never facing her. Our truce would eventually break down when there was no common enemy present, and even at the distance I stood from her my entire being bristled at her spiritual energy-fueled strikes. While I was certain I could win the fight between the two of us – I would not come out of it unscathed. Not with the amount of spiritual energy that radiated off of her. And certainly not with the ease she used her sword as a conduit for the potent energy.

It was clear that starting a fight with the priestess was unwise, but would the human be able to come to the same conclusion? I slid my eyes to her pale-skinned face as a feathered arrow was released from my bowstring and struck another demon dead. Lingering on the purple marking on her forehead for a few seconds before searching her eyes for the answer to the question in my mind: If the opportunity arose, would she turn her blade against me?

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched for her to break the truce before it was just the two of us. After all, we had met pointing weapons at each other and the whole demon-human partnership couldn’t last long. Considering she was a priestess sent to rid the nearby villages of their demon invaders, there were even more reasons to be cautious…

But with all my scrutiny of the woman’s dark eyes, I couldn’t find the answer to my uncertainties.

“Enough of this disgrace!” A voice snarled loudly through the air, and the demon clans stilled as it sounded. The priestess paused as her foes did, her eyes scouring the crowd of angry demons for the source.

Knowing the voice well, I let out a chilling breath that clouded the air as I readied my powers for the confrontation. My eyes scanned the crowd, noting that many of the older white tiger warriors previously present had disappeared from the crowd. Thinking back, only the younger warriors had been present when Isamu had rallied them. Had the older and wiser warriors fled when news of a priestess reached them? My brow furrowed at the thought, but the creases soon straightened as Itsuki growled out another sentence.

**“Half-breed, where the hell are you?!”**

“I thought I only took one of your eyes.” I smirked, twirling a crystalline arrow around my fingers as I turned towards the demon as he parted the crowd and stepped into view. He still clutched his head, feebly trying to stop the bleeding of his lost eye as fury burned in the other. The injuries received from being struck by his late father had already healed – proving once more that he frequented the healing hut merely to torment me.

“Did you lose the other eye getting here, Igarashi?” The amusement laced in my voice did not go unnoticed, and a low growl came from him as he stalked forwards, “Or should I take this as an invitation to take that one from you as well?”

But instead of transforming into his bestial form and charging with reckless abandon, Masuhiro appeared behind him and snapped him out of his rage with a light touch to the demon’s broad back. I narrowed my eyes at the Kitabayashi heir, and as Itsuki turned to his fellow bloodhounds Masuhiro shrunk from my withering gaze.

**_“Demons of Kitabayashi, do not let this traitorous healer draw breath any longer! She has killed my father – our leader – in cold blood while he was trying to accept her into our way of life!”_** He locked eyes with all of the demons present, trying to rally them into a cohesive unit than their scattered way of attacking (which made them quite easy to pick off one by one), **“It is obvious whose side she’s chosen – the side of our prey!”**

“Wait, Itsuki! This isn’t what we should be-!” Masuhiro’s objections were silenced by the roar of the crowd, and Itsuki shrugged off the hand he laid on his back this time in favour of facing me. The twisted grin he wore on his face paled in comparison to the crazed look in his lone eye: it exuded bloodlust and hatred, throwing away all logical thoughts as he fell into the mindset of a depraved beast.

He brought shame to the name of the white tiger demons with that look alone, becoming merely a beast on the hunt when we were so much more than that. We had _become_ so much more than the war-mongering nomads our ancestors were. But, with Itsuki guiding the village into a blood rage, they were soon drawn into the hunt like the blood hounds they were… It wouldn’t be long before they started changing into their demon forms.

Said forms weren’t too hard to deal with: they simply doubled in size as their human-like appearance was traded for that of a white tiger. The highly thought of fangs and claws included in the transformation as well as a toughened coat of beautiful white and black fur that would render any weapon not fused with energy absolutely useless. The Kitabayashi armour would grow with their bodies, as their own fangs were used to bind the material when it was made, and cover the thinner coat on the underbelly. Using a little more energy per demon wouldn’t do much harm, especially with the priestess fighting alongside me for now. What _would_ cause a problem is the increased speed this form gave them.

Taking a few leaps backwards, I called out to the unmoving human as I notched the crystalline arrow to Katashi’s bow, and released it into a Kitabayashi demoness before she could begin to follow the others and transform, “Priestess, you might want to rethink where you’re standing right now.”

She glanced back at me, confusion clouding her face as she noticed how far away I was standing. The priestess didn’t speak, turning back towards her enemies while raising her blade in preparation to defend against the next attack as the energy of the white tiger demons peaked.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you~” While her shoulders tensed at the comment, and I imagined a scowl to be stretched across her face, she didn’t give a vocal response to my mocking tone.

It happened quickly. The rapid release of energy from the group of demons blew the falling snow outwards and swirled the thickening flakes swiftly enough to create a blinding haze. Ghostly azure orbs pierced the white as they rose high above the ground, marking me as prey with the thundering growls that I felt in my bones. The sound stopped abruptly, and before the wind created by the transformations could dissipate, a large clawed paw already found itself moments from tearing into me. Anticipating the attack, I dodged it quickly, taking a few leaps backwards again before ducking under another swipe aimed for my head. Creating another arrow out of ice, I fired into the snow accurately as I barely dodged another swipe aimed at dismembering me. A pained howl reverberated through the air, although the source was hidden in the unending haze.

The storm that had been moving into the Kitabayashi forest had reached the village, the thick snowflakes that had idly floated to the ground were now following a harsh wind that created a white-out even thicker than the haze caused by the mass transformations of the demons. It would certainly create a disadvantage for the human priestess, and my gaze flashed over to where I had last seen the woman before we had been separated by the snow. Her figure was easy to pick out through the snowstorm, the slashes of energy coming from her attacks guiding my snow-piercing eyes to the source as I watched her battle with several demons at once.

Despite her disadvantage, she seemed to be holding her own decently. The thought of having misjudged her briefly floated through my mind before a surge of energy coming towards me had me flattening myself to the ground. The energy crackled overhead, and I could feel heat warm my skin and raise the hairs on my neck as I realized just how close it had been to hitting me. Maybe the priestess _was_ trying to kill me after all. Shrugging off the thought, I gracefully picked myself off the ground and dodged another clawed strike as it indented the ground. With a smooth movement, the crystalline arrow I had made transformed into a shard in my hand and I jabbed it into the underside of the arm before it was retracted.

“Argh!”

Blood spurted from the wound, coating the bottom of my kimono in foul-smelling blood as I jumped away from the retaliation of the white tiger demon.

**“What are you doing?! Kill her already, she’s just a healer!”**

The corners of my mouth twitched upwards as Itsuki’s enraged voice rang out, easily tracking where the sound came from and which large figure it belonged to. While the blue eyes of the Kitabayashi demons were exceptional at seeing through heavy snowfall the white and black striped coat the demon forms made them blend in easily, even to my snow demoness eyes. So while humans are a playthings to us in this weather, my inability to transform as well is creating a disadvantage as well. Luckily my mixed heritage gives me more advantages than disadvantages in the snow. A sly smile spread itself across my face as the energy I had been building up since Itsuki’s appearance had reached the necessary level to truly start the fight. Within moments, the energy shot outwards, creating a sphere in which I now had the advantage.

I faded into the snow and the circling movements of the demons surrounding me halted.

There had been no snow demons in Kitabayashi besides my mother, and she had disappeared a long time ago. There had been no one to teach me about my powers like the other white tiger children, and my father only knew so much and thought me too young to learn how to utilize my abilities… So I discovered it on my own after Master Katashi had taken me in, when I was determined to run away and exact my revenge openly. I learned about many of the traits my mother had passed on during those rebellious years.

**“INOUE!”** Itsuki called out before me, completely oblivious to the fact that I had slowly been making my way towards him in their confusion.

“Where did she go?!”

“She was just there!”

This ability was what I called ‘Misdirection’: to fade into the snow and redirect the attention of others. It only worked on those that were in range and only when the area had been covered in a haze of either snow or fog. The former component was harder to fulfill than the latter, as the range I had started with only had a radius of a few meters. After years of practicing and extending it, my range now reached a radius around fifty meters around me and held within it five white tiger demons at the moment – the distance my energy has to cover and contain. The initial energy that spread out to encompass my range alerted me to where those within my range were, and then the ‘shell’ of energy that surrounded Misdirection’s area of operation then alerted me to who else entered. Anything within that shell was my domain, to do with as I please.

Misdirection’s second condition was easier to meet even if it became exhausting after long periods. To reserve energy Misdirection was better suited to be used in a snowstorm such as the one I found myself in now. In an emergency I could generate a cloud of fog by chilling the air in my range. To maintain the fog it took a lot of energy and concentration, but in the warmer months it was the only option.

When Misdirection activated, I could either avoid those in range or draw the attention of them. Both used the same underlying mechanic: creating illusions in the snow and completely causing the navigational abilities and directional senses of those in range to fall under my control. If I wanted, I could keep whoever’s in range trapped in the haze until the storm subsides or my energy dries up – all the while turning them around time and time again so that they wouldn’t know which way was up anymore.

“Smell her out!”

“I don’t smell anything!”

“How’s she doing that?!”

It was a rather cruel ability, with how frazzled my prey became after toying with their senses a little: tricking what they had previously relied on wholeheartedly to not lead them astray to believe whatever I desired… But it wasn’t without weaknesses. While my energy was also masked – as I could manipulate the senses into thinking so – it was not completely hidden, and so those who maintained a calm mind and could sense energy would figure out where I was if I wasn’t careful.

**“SHOW YOURSELF, HALF-BREED!”**

But it was increasingly difficult to do the longer they were under my control, so I decided I wouldn’t think less of the white tiger demons for their dwindling strategy as the minutes dragged on and I continuously redirected their attempts to find me by mindlessly lumbering forwards.

Notching another crystalline arrow to Katashi’s bow, I took aim at Itsuki, who had remained in place and growled lowly as he tried to sniff me out. Releasing the arrow, it speedily flew towards his neck. His large ears twitched at the sound of the bowstring snapping back into place, and while I distorted the sound he lunged his head down towards me with his large teeth bared. With a quiet click of my tongue revealing my irritation at his unplanned movement and how it rendered the current trajectory of the arrow useless, I decided to attempt to at least strike the white tiger demon. On my silent command, the crystalline arrow splintered itself into shards, some of which embedding themselves along the soft expanse of his neck as I shuffled sideways to dodge his blindly snapping teeth.

Unknown to Master Katashi, the time spent practicing what he taught me had resulted in a lot of spare thinking time (as the old demon had continued to make me practice even when the application of poultices or bandages became muscle memory) I had taken it upon myself to name many of attacks I practiced. While I never intended on calling them out in the midst of battle, the expertly named ‘Icicle Burst’ was one of the finest names yet. It was only usable in combination with something I had previously made out of ice, as the attack was essentially just causing an imbalance in the energy that I used to create, in this case, the crystalline arrow.

The unfortunate thing about Icicle Burst is that after deciding where the imbalance happened (and thus deciding which way the shards spread out in) I no longer had any control over where the shards scattered. Not to mention how brittle the ice became after dispersing from the form I had initially crafted it into… But they drew blood readily enough, if the red lines that matted the coat of the furious Itsuki were any indication.

But in the gloating over his injury, the scent of human blood reached me. My sense of smell was leagues below that of animal-based demons such as the white tiger demons, but it was slightly better than that of a human… So for the scent to reach me when I couldn’t sense the priestess in my range, there must be a lot of blood... I glanced towards the direction priestess again, a twinge of concern flooded my mind when my eyes were unable to pinpoint her figure with a quick scan of the area.

Should I go and help the priestess?

I nearly chuckled at the fleeting thought and how ridiculous it sounded: a demoness helping a priestess. Our truce nearly fell into the same category, but as it seemed foolish to have such an arrangement with a human, my mind sorted it into a ‘business deal’ rather than ‘helping one another’.  

“Finally decided to show yourself, you lousy half-breed?” Itsuki growled, towering above me as he met my gaze with a ravenous look. Large paws placed themselves beside me, trapping me as I blinked in confusion at his accuracy.

My eyes widened a fraction as I realized that my Misdirection had weakened when the smell of human blood made my concentration waver slightly, and as I notched another arrow to Katashi’s bow I decided that instead of correcting my mistake and refocusing on Misdirection, I was going to end the battle quickly. With the other white-tiger demons closing in on my location, eager to back Itsuki up, it wouldn’t be too hard. Itsuki bared his teeth and plunged his head downwards, opening his mouth widely as he planned to bite down on me.

I dropped to a crouch, the arrow discarded and dissolving into snowflakes as I pressed my free palm against the blanket of snow and felt the watery slush underneath easily gave way to my hand. Channeling my energy through the ground, my eyes closed to better visualize my final attack and decided where to build up energy to burst forth on my command. Heat crept down my back, and I felt that Itsuki was seconds away from snapping his mouth closed around me. His sharp fangs would easily dig into my flesh and cut me in half – an image which I decided to abandon as soon as it painted itself in my mind.

Stalagmites of ice erupted from the ground, raising up into the air high enough to pierce the flanks of the remaining white tiger demons who wanted my death. For each of the demons three crystalline spikes sandwiched their bodies in between them, holding them in place while a fourth was poised to breach the Kitabayashi armour and sink into the heart once the placeholders tore into skin and bone. I felt blood drip onto my shoulder from above, and as the pained shrieks sounded from the other four demons were silenced when the fourth spike made itself known I removed my hand from the ground and straightened myself.

Arctic Assault: Another attack of mine that I had named, where large spikes of ice shot up from the ground within my range wherever I deposited enough energy. Getting my energy to where I wanted it took precision, which came from guiding my energy from myself into the ground or the snow covering it and then directing it from there (which so far I could only do when my bare skin was in contact with said surface). While it would’ve taken longer to build up enough energy in the deposits, the fact that I simply converted the energy leftover from my abandonment of Misdirection into the deposits made the process a lot quicker this time, even though with such a quick dismissal most of the energy was wasted since I didn’t draw it back towards me for reabsorption.

My eyes were met with the inside of Itsuki’s mouth as they opened, thin crystalline stalagmites were hooked into the flesh of his jaw and gums and prevented him from biting down as he had planned. Because of the spikes that saved my life, Itsuki’s heart remained unpierced even as three spikes had angled themselves into a pincer. Stepping out from between his propped open mouth, I smirked at the sight of the other white tiger demons who had thin spikes piercing failed armour.

More energy was required for thicker spikes, which I preferred using, but I can’t say I was disappointed.

**_“I….noue….”_** Jagged breaths and a hacking cough prevented him from doing much more than snarling out my name, his lone eye still raging with fury and pain as he still lived, but was stopped in place by my ice spikes.

“Oooh, you don’t sound too good there, Igarashi.” Looking over his injuries as he continued to breathe in irregularly, I guessed that one of the thin blood covered spikes had stuck itself into the space between ribs, reaching far enough into the body that it having pierced the lung was highly likely.

I continued, “Seems like your lung isn’t doing too well with a spike in it. It’s too bad you don’t have a healer that can fix you right up, since that’s gonna hurt for a while.” I walked up to him, peering smugly into his large blue eye, “If you don’t die from it before you can heal on your own, of course.”

He thrashed a bit at my comment, but his anger was immediately dashed when the spikes sunk into his body at the movement but the powerful swish of his tail didn’t cease. The underside of his white and black striped coat was stained red, and droplets fell into growing red pools which had carved itself into the snow. Halting growls rumbled in his chest, and my fingers twitched around Katashi’s bow as pity flashed through me. The thought of granting him a merciful death flickered through my mind and I nearly gave into it, had it not been for him opening his mouth.

**“You… filthy half-breed… I’ll… kill…”** He growled out his threat lamely, and I rolled my eyes at how often I heard him voice the sentiment. It brought back all the disgust I felt for the demon, and I turned on my heel and started walking towards the forest. He continued to mutter insults through an open mouth, and I could picture him throwing a tantrum with how high and mighty he believed himself to be even after being defeated soundly.

_Let the foolish cub suffer, then. I owe him nothing._

The thought fueled my steps until I reached the snow-filled forest. It was only then that I looked back over the village entrance, primarily to see if I would have any pursuers as I left the false heir for dead. Nothing stirred. I left the village behind and headed deeper into the silent woods, having a straight path from my current location to the secret training area Katashi had left from.

The longer I spent in the forest, the more my mind cleared and I was able to think. Master Katashi had probably left Kitabayashi forest without any trouble. The human priestess came up the path south of the village, and since the training ground was off in the forest to the west of the village, the likelihood of the two meeting was slim at best, especially since Masuhiro had alerted the village to the incoming priestess so soon after I returned from seeing the old demon off… But the unease that had settled into my heart failed to be lifted by facts, and only seeing him alive and well would erase it.

A gust of wind whirled around the trunks of trees and blew against my face, bringing with it a faint scent I identified as human blood after a second. My body spurred itself into action, leaving my mind far behind as I tried my best to track where the smell was coming from. After losing the trace a few times and wandering through the trees aimlessly until I picked it up again, I eventually found a trail of blood fell onto disturbed snow. The footprints were already being filled in as the snowstorm still raged high above the treetops, raining down heavy flakes even if the fierce wind was buffered by the woods.

If I followed the red line, it would lead me to the human priestess. I could probably get an answer out of her one way or another about Master Katashi, but then the slim chance of still being able to follow after Master Katashi would disappear completely. Either I follow the blood trail, or I try and determine which way Master Katashi could’ve gone… It was times like these that I regretted not having the enhanced smell of a white tiger demon.

With a sigh, I allowed the red line to lead me to the wounded priestess. The temporary truce had ended, but perhaps I could use my healing powers as a bargaining chip at first. If that failed, I would simply let her walk the snowy landscape until she finally broke under my Misdirection trap and tell me what I wanted to know. With a wicked grin, I picked up my pace and glided softly over the snow and winding tree roots.

After all, I didn’t owe the priestess anything either.

* * *

O

* * *

So... it's been a while, eh?

Aaaaaaanyway,

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

What in the literal world of Japan is going on?!

Nozomi's 'rare gift' is revealed?!

Is Master Katashi alright!?

Who the heck does this priestess think she is?

DEAR GOD DOES THIS EVEN GET TO SESSHOMARU?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3

* * *

Thanks for reading, Fireflies!

-Love, Ember ;3


	4. Where it Began

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the spring.

Chapter 4: Where it Began

“My, my! You sure made it a long way with that injury of yours.” My lips curled up into a smirk as I studied how her brown eyes flashed at the comment. My hands rested on my hips as I watched her continue to struggle against the snow, easily keeping up with her slow pace.

The priestess had walked out of Kitabayashi forest, but as she continued to trudge through the snow that piled up on the hilly grasslands she weakened. Now, she crawled through the powdery snow which caved in on her every few feet as she cradled her bloodied arm. The wound had not clotted as each movement prevented it from closing properly. Blood freely stained her kimono and as the drenched fabric rubbed up against the snow she pushed her way through it left a red streak in the disturbed snow.

After a few moments of silence, she suddenly stopped and sent me a fierce glare. I met her gaze evenly, my eyes shining in amusement as her patience at my presence wore thin. The wind whipped around us harshly, and I took a minute to note the way her frame shivered into the snow. At this rate, she wouldn’t last the night. If she didn’t stop moving in the next hour or so, the wound would kill her. If she stopped moving, the cold would.

I probably wouldn’t have to offer to heal her, guiding her towards shelter would be enough to save her life at this time. Hopefully doing so will make her feel obligated enough to answer a question.

“I have no wish to speak with you, demon!”

“Ouch!” I brought my hand up to my chest in a mocking manner before circling the dying priestess, “Well, I mean… That would’ve hurt if I didn’t share the same sentiment, priestess. I thought humans wanted the company of another as they die, but it seems that isn’t the case~”

“I would never choose to be in the company of someone of your kind, snow-woman.”

“Ah, I see. That’s too bad...” I crouched down to peer into her face, watching for any changes closely as my voice dropped dangerously “Because I’m your last hope of going home.”

There was a flicker in her features – a slight pull on her brow as her lips pressed themselves into a firm line. It was for only a second, and soon she resumed the angry arch of her brow and the spiteful curl of a frown, but it was there. She had realized the fact that her survival depended on me – the human villages were too far for her to reach in time, and I was probably the only demon in existence willing to help the unusually strong priestess. After all, she had no doubt purified countless demons already. But, luckily for her, now I had demon blood on my hands as well.

“I do not need a demon’s help. Much less the likes of yours, snow-woman.”

“Come now, priestess. You don’t really you’ll make it in time, do you?” I smiled at her, inching closer to her shivering body as she pressed herself into the snow to escape my approach, “I thought you were a little smarter than that. I’m a little disappointed.”

“I care not what you demons think of me.”

“That’s nice.”

I straightened myself up, brushing the large flakes of snow off of my clothing before scanning the snow covered hills in the distance. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of shelter from the storm where I could coax an answer out of the disagreeable human. Getting her out of the cold might help her attitude and loosen her tongue. As it stands now, no amount of threatening would award me with the confirmation I needed about Master Katashi and the dangerous priestess never actually crossing paths.

Searching the distance once more for shelter, I located what looked like a mountain that offered a little protection from the wind, if the thin layer of snow in front of it said anything. It was close enough for her to reach without finding her way to the afterlife, and hopefully there would be a little cave entrance there where the human could escape the elements… If not, I could always create some sort of shelter from my ice, but I wasn’t too keen on spending too much energy on the woman than necessary.

But, now I had to get her to follow me.

Master Katashi spoke of tales that humans once told him when he had broken away from the usual path he took to gather herbs last winter: snow-women leading humans into the snow where they would meet rather unfortunate ends. It wasn’t too far of a stretch from a snow-woman’s abilities… But demons like myself were hard to come by. They were recluses, hardly dealing with human and demon alike. Any interaction with said humans probably only came from curiosity rather than malicious intent. Apparently the story was favoured by the humans though, and nearly all accounts of being lost in snowstorms or falling prey to an icy death resulted in them having died by a snow-woman’s hand.

It was all rather amusing, the fact that humans were so superstitious.

But I guess all prey would mistake a rustling branch at night for a beast’s pursuit.

“If you want to live, priestess, you should follow me~” I glanced towards the woman again as I walked to the front of her, unable to keep the wicked gleam from my eye. It would be _very_ interesting to see if the human would follow me in the middle of a snowstorm. While I could always use Misdirection and lead her towards me no matter which path she took, I was highly curious to see if she would put aside her disdain for demons if her survival was on the line. If pride took her down another path, who was I to change the outcome? I’m sure Master Katashi wouldn’t mind being put to the side from the outcome of a human’s free will – he always liked the rash decisions they could come up with.

Their reasoning for doing things ‘here’ and ‘now’ than waiting for the right moment. To be honest, it hadn’t interested me much until now. It could become quite addicting – seeing how a human would react to certain situations. Perhaps it was solely because of the interesting human in front of me: both powerful and headstrong enough to challenge a whole village of demons while weak enough to be on the verge of death after the fight.

Just what could drive such a foolish being to fight those they could not defeat easily?

“I do not need a demons help!” Her pained voice burned with anger, and her hand drifted to the sword held to her waist by a red sash. Before she could grasp the handle in her hand, her body fell limp and she clutched at her arm instead.

I chuckled, backing away from the angry priestess in amusement before turning my back on her and walking into the snow. Before I could disappear from her human view, I called over my shoulder:

“Sure _you_ don’t need a demon’s help, priestess. But aren’t there those who need _your_ help?”

A sly grin spread across my face at those words, almost _feeling_ her hesitate at them. Priestesses were supposed to help protect other humans from demons, right? It would be a little hard for the woman to help others from the netherworld, even if she commanded great power. Did this great power make her think that she was indispensable to saving human lives? Could she ignore the thought of leaving countless lives to perish because of her pride? _Would_ she?

My body bristled with excitement as I waited to see what she would choose, slowing my pace so that she wouldn’t lose me in the snow if she decided to start following. Her arrogance would be her salvation, or it would be her undoing. Which would it be?

It didn’t take long for her to reach her answer. With a frustrated growl, she hauled her body forwards and followed me through the snow.

An hour passed before we reached the foot of the mountain face. It had taken a lot slower than what I thought it would with the human’s pace slowing considerably as time dragged on, but we had reached it at long last. I paused in front of the rock face I took a deep breath, trying to sniff out a cave opening as the priestess slowly caught up with me. The priestess seemed to be quite lucky indeed, as after a few minutes of searching a slightly warmer draft of air caught my attention. With a few steps my fingers brushed up against the cold stone, and I peered into the small cavern.

It was large enough for at least three people to fit in comfortably, and a naturally heated pool of water kept the temperature up even if a cold wind found its way inside occasionally. It would be a relatively nice spot for the priestess to recover after I was finished with her.

“In here, priestess.”

Turning my face from the cave opening and looking back at her, I saw she was slowly standing on her feet now that the snowdrifts weren’t as high as the rest of the journey. Her shiny eyes locked with mine, her pale face was tinted red with cold. A twinge of pity plucked at my heart at the sight, but the heated glare she gave me silenced the pity easily enough. Somehow even in her weakened state she still had such fire driving her onwards. Had she figured out my words were nothing short of manipulation, or was there something more going on under the surface?

She slipped past me, nearly falling into the cavern as she embraced the slight warmth that filled the room. After warily scanning the frozen hills for any pursuers, I followed her thawing form. It was dark in the cavern, and the humidity made my skin crawl uncomfortably as the heavy warmth clung to my being. The sound of water being disturbed caught my attention, and I turned my eyes towards the direction.

The priestess was huddled beside the pool of warm water, scooping the liquid up in her cupped hands before letting it drain through her fingers. Almost immediately she brought her hands up to her face, running her heated fingers over the skin before sinking them back into the water to gather more heat. A ragged sigh pushed itself from her lips as relief caused her body to sink against the stone.

“Well now, once you’re all warmed up, I have a little question for you that I’d like an honest answer to.” I sat down near the wall furthest from her, not wanting to crowd her while trying to ease her into giving me the answer I wanted in exchange for leading her to warmth. Katashi’s bow and the quiver still decently filled with arrows were released from my grasp and rested against the cool wall as I waited.

She didn’t give any indication that she heard me, and I wasn’t looking for one either. She knew I was there, knew my eyes were pinned to her bloodied shoulder as she warmed herself. She’d have to face me eventually, even if she didn’t want to.

The minutes ticked by, and I occupied my time with searching and ridding my clothes and body of the grime that had discoloured both the fabric and pale skin. While I could just as easily clean myself all at once with a burst of energy, this kept my hands occupied and allowed the priestess more time to wash herself without my eyes bearing down on her back. Soon enough, I had nothing more to search for.

She was stalling, it was obvious.

But I let her stall. Pulling out the sheath from my kimono’s folds, I revealed the bloodied knife to my gaze. While the blade still smelled of Itsuki’s blood, the scent didn’t fully cloud the one hidden underneath it. The art of making poison hadn’t been lost on me, even if Master Katashi made it a point to keep all of his information pertaining to that subject a secret to me. Being a healer meant learning how to counteract the many symptoms of numerous poisons, but I had never been interested in learning how to make any concoctions myself… until I found a particularly interesting page filled with words not written by Master Katashi’s hand. Either his master, or his master’s master had discovered something quite useful against demons: a type of poison that even a demon’s natural healing process couldn’t fix on its own.

Itsuki would be missing his eye for a _very_ long time, especially since the art of healing had practically died out amongst demons, and he would never turn to humans for their help.

With a short flare of my energy the rest of the poison was burned off of the blade along with the false heir’s blood. For good measure I did the same for the sheath before hiding the blade in the hollow creation. The sheathed blade then found its way back into my obi, the wood pressing against up against my body with a familiar weight.

“You wanted to ask a question?”

I glanced back up to the human woman, who had turned to face me sometime during the inspection of my hidden blade. The look on her face made it clear that she dreaded those words as soon as they tumbled into existence, but she somehow looked a little friendlier now that she wasn’t freezing to death.

“When you came to Kitabayashi, the first demons you came across were the ones guarding the entrance to the path leading up to the village, correct?” I regarded her carefully, watching for any signs of deceit that I could detect, “You came across no one else?”

She considered my words slowly, her brown eyes darting to the floor as her brow scrunched up in concentration. At the very least, she seemed to be taking my question seriously.

After a few more seconds, she responded evenly, “I came across no one else. After leaving the village that had just been ransacked by your demons, those demons standing guard were the first creatures I had come across.”

My heart instantly felt relieved at her words, and as I could only detect honesty in her voice I gave her a quick nod and stood. There was no reason to stick around when my question had been answered, and she obviously was a few snide remarks away from trying to purify me as well. Grabbing Katashi’s bow and the quiver, I turned to leave the priestess behind.

“The storm should be over in a matter of hours. You should stop the bleeding and head to the nearest village – there’s enough time for you to reach it and get help before the next storm hits.” I grinned at her as my body was enveloped with the chill air that whirled outside the cavern, “It’s been fun, priestess.”

 I disappeared into the snow, and I let my new freedom consume me. There would be no more heckling remarks from the Kitabayashi demons, no Itsuki interrupting me on a daily basis to pester me, no Masuhiro to despise for his weakness, no Isamu to hate for murdering my father… There was nothing holding me back. Nothing keeping me in the village that held more bad memories than good ones…

No one who would be able to know of my mixed heritage with absolute certainty.

I could go anywhere, and do anything. What to do-

Harsh coughing echoed on the walls of the cavern, multiplying the sound as it reached my pointed demonic ears. The clang of metal against the stone, the sound of something heavy collapsing against the ground. The priestess was too weak, and was probably lying unconscious in that cave. Did she manage to stop the bleeding of her wound? Would she wake up without my aid–?

…The human woman wasn’t my concern any longer.

I took another step into the snow, followed by another. A strong wind blew, and I paused in order to let it blow by. In that second, my mind disobeyed me. My body joined in on its mutiny and turned me around, marching me back into the cavern and allowing my skin to once again be assaulted by the clingy warmth that permeated the hovel. As my eyes met the unconscious body of the priestess, an angry curse left my lips as I leaned the quiver and Katashi’s bow back up against the wall before approaching the human.

I blamed Katashi for my actions, for making me _want_ to save the human woman enough to return to her side. For teaching me how to heal humans in the first place, for telling me stories of how amusing and interesting humans were. For making me not believe whole-heartedly in the Kitabayashi point of view on humans: prey. This was all his fault, and the next time I saw the old fool I’d be sure to tell him that.

Quickly unfastening her armour and laying it to the side, I gently loosened her kimono and maneuvered her arm through the sleeve. Judging by the large claw marks that marred the skin of her shoulder and continued halfway down her back, one of the white tiger demons had gotten behind her and pounced. There were also deep puncture wounds down her arm, following the curve of a transformed white tiger demon’s jaw.

It was enough to make me question just how she managed to stay conscious enough to follow me through the snow, the pain would be enough to slow even a demon down to a grinding halt until it healed.

My fingertips gently brushed the skin around the open wounds, noting the blood that spilled from her body at the slightest touch. None of the wounds looked infected, but the severity of them were beyond the healing capability of medicine.

“You certainly are one lucky human, priestess.” I bunched her long black hair up and placed it above her head before pushing down her kimono a little further and revealing more of her pale skin to me, “Be a good patient and don’t wake up and fight me on this, alright? It’ll be your funeral, not mine. Quite literally.”

Curling up the sleeves of my pale kimono, I took a minute to collect myself and gather the energy I needed to heal the priestess. Unlike Master Katashi or any other healer he had heard of, I didn’t require herbs or poultices to speed the healing process along. It was an arduous process, as wrapping one’s energy around that of another was something that shouldn’t be done half-heartedly. If not for the wellbeing of the patient, then for my own wellbeing.

The energy of two separate beings are never meant to coincide in one vessel, as the strain of one energy trying to dominate the other would eventually devour the host. The only way to safely mix my energy with that of another was to practically dismantle it completely: to reduce it into a shadow of its former potency. It was a highly dangerous task, as reducing it too much would render it ineffective and invite the foreign energy to consume the energy placed in the body before following it to the source – namely me – and consuming my energy while it was too weak to fight back. Not reducing it enough, however, would alert the host to a foreign energy and spur it into fighting me as I tried to heal the body. I could command my energy not to attack the host’s, but having my weakened energy being constantly fought every step of the healing process would inflict me with a serious and untreatable injury that would take days to recover from – energy itself couldn’t be healed, after all.

But the most difficult part of all would be trying to recall all of my energy after the healing process had been completed. Leaving the slightest drop in the host and then reconstructing the potency of my energy would have disastrous effects for the host, as the energy within my own body is still linked to the remainder inside the host. With a foreign and powerful energy hiding inside the host’s body, their energy would become confused and attack itself as it tried to defeat the foreign energy. The best case scenario of such a thing would be the host being weakened for a weak at most. The worst case… was death.

All of this was based on Master Katashi’s understanding of the energy that lived in every being, and as it was quite extensive, it was foolish to consider any of his speculations as false. His hypotheses had been consistently proved correct, as he had allowed me to practice the hidden skill on him whenever he had been injured to ensure I learned how to use it correctly. He had named the skill ‘Energy Healing’. Not as interesting or as unique as the names for my offensive skills, but it kind of grew on me over the years.

With a deep breath, I placed my hands onto the priestess’s back and gently allowed my energy to enter into her body and intermingle with the human’s energy. An apprehensive moment passed slowly as her energy decided whether it attacked my energy or passed it over, proving that it had infiltrated successfully and blended in with her own energy enough to not warrant her energy’s concern. After no reaction, I allowed myself to take a slow breath and work on repairing her damaged body.

I worked quickly, enhancing the healing ability of one area until the skin had seamlessly closed itself up again without even a scar in sight before continuing onto the next area. With a scowl, I realized that a human’s naturally slow recovery time made the process a lot longer than I would’ve liked. While the priestess was now recovering at the rate of a demon’s healing capabilities, there was a large portion of her body wounded and as I didn’t want to push the woman’s luck too far with how much I healed at a time – being unused to healing humans – I was forced to heal smaller areas at a time. Not to mention, since humans didn’t heal as aptly as demons did I had to take my time and heal each area carefully and completely so that no complication appeared later.

“Tch. What a hassle you are, priestess.” I moved my hands up her back, working on the claw wounds there as the lower back was all closed up, “This is all Master Katashi’s fault. The moment I find him-!”

“…Hnn…?” The priestess mumbled softly, half-conscious as she blearily tried to form a word. I leaned in slightly to hear what she was saying as she seemed to repeat it, “Hotaka…”

Her breathing deepened after the name escaped her lips, and she was once again lost to the world. While I was curious at who Hotaka was, I shrugged it off and continued working, finishing up on the claw wounds on her back and moving to work on the bite marks on her arm. My fingers never lifted off of her skin as I directed my energy to where it needed to go, determined to not accidentally leave anything in her body when I finished. The best way to do so was to make sure that I knew exactly how much of my energy was inside the host at any given time. To do that accurately, a constant point of contact was necessary.

The pointed puncture wounds of the bite were a lot easier to fix than the long gashes the demon’s claws left behind. Soon I had finished closing all the wounds and gave her one final examination as I started reabsorbing my energy. There were no traces of any previous wounds on her back, and the same could be said for her arm. While she’d still look like she was bleeding out when her red stained kimono was back in its proper place that was no longer true. As there seemed to be no other wound on her body, I nodded to myself and coaxed the last bit of energy out of her body. With a slow sweep back down her body, searching for any energy that might’ve been missed and finding no stragglers, I removed my hands from her skin and fixed her kimono as best as I could without disturbing her rest.

I failed to stop the tired sigh that forced itself from my lips as my energy regained its power on my command. After a few moments of keeping a careful watch on the priestess for any indication of discomfort or pain and finding none, I quietly retrieved Katashi’s bow and quiver and peered out of the cavern. The storm had stopped for now, and another was currently speeding towards our location. A clouded sky muted the colours of the serene white world that waited patiently for me to bask in its stillness.

The priestess wouldn’t be able to move very far for another couple of hours, and by that time the next storm would whip up more snow than the last one did. From what I could sense, it would last at least a day, if not longer. As a human she would quickly get lost in the snow and not be able to find her way back…

“Tch.” I clicked my tongue once more, “You really are such a hassle.”

The stillness of the world was broken by the sounds of animals as they relished in the temporary reprieve from the storm, and I quietly crept out of the cavern to hunt anything unfortunate enough to cross my path.

* * *

I returned to the cave with the body of a rabbit slung over my shoulder and another bundle of sticks and branches pressed under my arm. The smell of burning wood made me pause just outside of the entrance and notice the small amount of smoke being drawn out by the cold wind that accompanied the winter storm. After scowling at the thought that the cave would no longer be filled with the humid heat the natural spring provided, but a _dry_ one as well, I eventually swallowed my distaste and walked in.

“You’re up already, priestess? That’s reassuring. You weren’t looking too good.” Setting Katashi’s bow and the quiver aside, I took a wary step towards the small but sizzling fire and placed the rabbit and branches in arm’s reach of the priestess.

She looked a lot better, colour had returned to her face and her eyes didn’t have the blank sheen they had hours ago. Based on that alone, I could probably leave the priestess alone now and escape the miserably heated cave.

“…It’s Midoriko.” She mumbled, staring blankly into the small fire as she added another stick from the pile I had just set down.

I blinked at her, surprised by her sudden willingness to speak to me, “What?”

“My name.” Her brown eyes looked up into mine with an emotion I couldn’t quite place as she clarified, “Midoriko Yanagi*.”

“Midoriko the priestess, eh?” My confusion was replaced by suspicion, and I eyed her carefully before my eyes flickered to the exit, “Well, this has certainly been quite the strange meeting for the both of us, I assume, so I’ll be heading–”

“–Please stay!” The confusion was back in full force and so she continued, “Just for a while, at least. If you want to leave, I can’t stop you, but I… I’ve misjudged you terribly. I just… want a chance to correct it.”

How horribly earnest of her. This priestess continued to get more and more interesting the more time I spent with her. Was saving her really all that was necessary for her to start singing such a different tune? If she could change her mind this rapidly, surely it wouldn’t take much for her to go back to being ready to slay me at a moment’s notice…

Or was this all just a ploy?

Midoriko seemed to notice my hesitation, “I know it’s a little strange asking this of you… But out of all of the demon’s I’ve faced so far, you’re the only one who doesn’t seem at all like the ones that harm and kill humans. If we could only talk for a little while, maybe I could understand–”

“Woah, woah… Simmer down there, priestess. Sure, I don’t go around killing every human I see, but don’t misunderstand me… I’m not so opposed to the idea that I wouldn’t kill a human if they stood in my way.” I edged a little further away from her growing fire before watching for her reaction.

She was silent for a few minutes, turning my admission over in her head carefully before responding, “Even so, I’d still like to speak with you.” Her eyes met mine, waiting to see what I would do.

Pressing myself against the cool wall near the entrance, I sunk to the ground with a small smile as my curiosity got the better of me.

“Well then, I suppose I could stay for a little while.”

* * *

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

**Midoriko Yanagi*:** Midoriko introduced herself with her first name, and then last name. As Midoriko does not have a canon last name and we are not introduced to her family or background, most of it will be made up by yours truly!

* * *

O

* * *

 I'm on a roll now! ;3

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

How does this 'talk' go?

Midoriko sure changed her mind pretty fast...

Is a betrayal coming?! If so, who will it come from?!

WHO CAN WE EVEN TRUST ANYMORE?!

I'M STARTING TO THINK THIS'LL NEVER GET TO SESSHOMARU?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	5. To Trust or not to Trust?

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the spring.

Chapter 5: To Trust or not to Trust?

The priestess seemed at a loss for words at my unexpected agreement to stay. She busied herself with preparing the rabbit I had caught with a small knife she pulled out from under the armour that had been neatly placed to the side of the cave but still within her reach. She pursed her lips, eyes flashing towards me every few moments.

“…What should I call you?” Her voice wavered as if she was suddenly nervous at the thought of asking me questions.

“Eh, it doesn’t really matter what you call me.” I shrugged as I grabbed Katashi’s bow and inspected it as I waited for her to continue. But as I busied my hands with testing the bowstring’s strength and checking for any sign of structural weakness received from the fight, I discretely kept an eye on the human woman. So, when she frowned lightly at my answer, it wasn’t as unnoticed as she believed.

“So then… will Inoue do?” My brow arched in surprise, and she met my eyes when I glanced over at her figure, “I heard one of the demons call it out during the battle. I assume it’s your name?”

“Ah, well… Yeah, it is. Although he meant it as more of an insult than anything…” Another frown pulled at her lips, and before she could say anything that would seem like an apology I continued, “If you need a name that badly, just call me Nozomi.”

She nodded at this, and fell silent. The fire’s sizzling drew my eyes towards it, and I idly watched the flickering dance of the flames. It was a rather strange situation: to be sitting quietly in the presence of the priestess. Curiosity had its flaws, but now more than ever it sparked questions about the priestess that I struggled to supress. The whole situation was a terrible idea, and staying longer would surely only create further problems…

But no matter how much I knew this would probably end horribly, I couldn’t force myself to stand and walk out of the warm cave.

“The markings on your forehead, what are they?” I could no longer hold back my questions, and with an inaudible sigh I committed myself to seeing just how far this unusual friendly-ish conversation went.

“Oh, this?” She lightly touched the purple markings as if she had forgotten them, “I’ve had them since I was born. The priestesses and monks that examined me told my father that I had an unusually high spiritual energy, which manifested as the marks. Many of them settled in our village to train me in the ways of a priestess.”

“A sword is a strange weapon for a priestess.” My eyes traced the shape of said weapon as it rested on the ground by her armour.

“I suppose so.” She chuckled to herself, “To be honest, I still have much to learn about being a priestess. A more appropriate description for what I do would be a ‘Demon Slayer’.”

“A ‘Demon Slayer’?” I set down Katashi’s undamaged bow gently and stole a look at the armour she wore. It certainly didn’t fit the stories Master Katashi told of human priestesses, but I would never have suspected that the title of ‘Demon Slayer’ would be more fitting. Somehow, it was. “What exactly does a ‘Demon Slayer’ do differently than a priestess?”

“Well…” She trailed off, her hands working on setting the rabbit meat over the fire to cook as her eyes contemplated what to say, “It’s a profession that my father started. Our entire village is populated with Demon Slayers, and we make a living by getting hired to take care of troublesome demons for others. Instead of purifying them and having their bodies disappear, we slay them with weapons and forge new ones from what remains.”

“Well, at the very least you humans seem to make the most out of everything.”

It was an interesting concept: using the body of demons to forge weapons to use against the next ones. Depending on how strong the demons that they fight are, they could have some very powerful weapons on their hands. If not now, and if they don’t get slaughtered by the demons they hunt, then in a few decades they could very well become a huge problem for demons. My eyes once again drifted to the metal armour and sword on the floor of the cave.

“Do you not carry any of this equipment with you when you travel alone?” My eyes flashed to her brown ones, “… _Are_ you travelling alone?”

She hesitated, searching my eyes as she fiddled with the sleeves of her kimono as she pulled her knees up to her chest. It was a long moment before she broke eye contact, tilting her head to study the fire instead. Noting that she was unwilling to answer the question, I decided to not press any further for now and try a different question.

“So, you were hired to rid Kitabayashi of demons?”

“Mm.” By the sound of it, she was only half-listening to my question. While it was a little irritating, I tried not to dwell on it too much and instead focused on deciphering her answer.

Judging by the tone, I took her response to mean that she _had_ been hired to slay the white tiger demons of Kitabayashi. This meant that the villages falling prey to the raids had finally grew frustrated enough to send for help – and be willing to pay for it – so that they could live in peace. Seems like those that survived the priestess’s attack would regret not listening to my father now.

“Why did you ask if I had met anyone on my way to the demon village – Kitabayashi, was it?” Her voice was quiet, and though her eyes had turned back to my figure they were still unfocused. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were pressed into a thin line. From what I could tell, she was contemplating something that had crossed her mind moments ago.

Unfortunately, I could not read her mind and so I settled for answering her question lightly as I waited to hear what had consumed her thoughts.

“I was concerned that you might’ve crossed paths with my master.”

“Master?” Her eyes focused on mine again, and as her interest peaked her contemplative silence had ended.

“Yes. My master.”

She sighed at my short answer, and pressed further, “You’re a healer, right? Was he the one who taught you how to heal?”

This time, I was the one who hesitated. Master Katashi could take care of himself, no matter what I told this priestess. At this point he had probably already assumed an identity of a monk and was making friends with some villagers of a nearby village – but not too close, where he could be recognized by the Kitabayashi demons when the next raid happened. He was smart, and strong, and well-trained. There was no need to worry for his health even as old age was starting to creep in.

My heart had stopped me from mindlessly telling the priestess about him, the organ squeezing painfully in my chest at the mere possibility of betraying him. The priestess sitting in front of me didn’t actively search out demons to hunt, but the bitter taste of somehow conspiring against him left my mouth dry and unwilling to form but a few words.

“…He taught me many things.”

At the very start of this tentative agreement both of us had a list of what we weren’t willing to discuss… But _knowing_ that there were hidden conversational pitfalls was entirely different from falling into one. The fact that we were essentially strangers only meant that we were searching blindly for the boundaries while not knowing the signs that hinted at what was too far until the line had been overstepped so much that guarded answers were all that could be offered.

It seems like the conversation started out of curiosity had met its end.

Silence extended uncomfortably between us. The priestess busied herself with adding another twig onto the fire as she flipped the rabbit meat to cook the side previously untouched by the flames. I busied myself by staring at the small snowflakes that drifted a few inches into the cave before being pulled back outside by a gust of wind that carried it away again. Both of us unwilling to attempt another question that could end in disaster, but also unwilling to let our questions go unanswered.

The minutes stretched on, and the smell of cooked meat filled the cave as the fire sizzled on. It was surprising that the priestess both make and tend a fire made entirely of branches wet from the snow, but I suppose if she travelled around to villages paying for her services she’d have to spend a few nights on the road. I eyed her again, taking note of the fluid and practiced moments, she made as she readied her food. At the very least she could survive by herself if I left her on her own, since my reason for staying had run its course.

“I–”

“–I travel alone, yes. My armour and sword are not made from demon materials, although my sword’s sheath is. It’s getting mended at my village as it was badly damaged during my last assignment. It should be fixed by the time I return.” She turned towards me, unfolding her legs from her chest and tucking them under her body, “…I believe that I need to make you aware of my intentions.”

Her words were unexpected, and I failed to stop my eyebrow from raising in both concern and surprise. Where I would’ve halted and pulled back, she pressed onward. Where I would’ve remained silent, she spoke. Where I would’ve allowed the conversation to die and call the result inevitable, she attempted to revive it through earnest reassurance and explanation…

Are all humans this interesting?

Or is my curiosity sparked not because she’s a human, but because we couldn’t be more different? That her actions and thoughts are such a puzzle to me, who would never think to do things the same way? Maybe that’s why she wanted to talk – because she saw me as a puzzle as well and wanted time to decipher our differences and similarities just as I did?

Maybe ~~the priestess~~ Midoriko Yanagi no longer saw me as a demon who she had no intentions of speaking with and instead saw me as a stranger whom she wanted to get to know better. That thought made the situation a lot simpler than what it appeared to be… but maybe it _was_ that simple and I had been overcomplicating things as usual. With that in mind, I decided not to tiptoe around the unusual situation in fear of things going wrong and stride forward with no concerns over how it ends.

“…Alright.”

“I… think that we made a decent team back there and I think we could make an even better one if we join forces for a while.” As I stared at her in shock, she continued, “I know it might seem strange, but I think that us working together would be very… interesting.”

It took me a few moments to recover from her unexpected approach, and she waited patiently as I regained my bearings. If nothing else, she was honest and straightforward. And… I think I liked that about her. I didn’t have to wonder what she was thinking for too long – she would say what she thought while leaving no room to misconstrue her intentions.

The longer I thought about her offer, the more I considered accepting it.

I would get to learn more about Midoriko and see if my interest stayed with me the more I discovered. I could travel to different places and see different things and meet… well, I wasn’t too enthused about meeting humans, but I suppose that I could tolerate meeting a few more. Hopefully I could also see this Demon Slayer village she spoke of as well. Killing demons wouldn’t rest on my conscious, either, as I’ve pretty much turned my back on the wretched creatures I had to begrudgingly call my ‘kin’. Slaying demons who were complete strangers to me wouldn’t be too hard.

That way I could also continue to get stronger as well. So, whenever I decided to split from teaming up with Midoriko, other demons – stronger than those in Kitabayashi – wouldn’t give me any trouble and I would no longer have to bend to any other will than my own…

But that’s as far as my mind allowed me to contemplate the benefits of the offer before it jumped to everything that could go wrong with the arrangement.

“As intriguing that offer is, how would your fellow Demon Slayers feel about you teaming up with a demoness?”

“I believe I’m old enough to make my own decisions about who I want to travel with.” Something about the way she said it made me think that there was a bigger story behind why she was travelling alone, but I restrained my curiosity for now.

“And how old is that, exactly?” I had been wondering about her age for quite some time now, unable to pinpoint it with the vast difference a human’s appearance aged compared to a demon’s.

“I turned eighteen this year.” She looked my figure up and down, “Wait, how old are you?”

 “I turned thirty in the fall.”

She blinked in surprise, “But you don’t look any older than I am!”

“…How much do you Demon Slayers know about demons, anyway?” If she was surprised to find out I’m older than I look then my earlier estimation of when the Demon Slayers would become a problem was severely overestimated.

“I mean, we’re certainly aware of how long you live – it’s kind of common knowledge in both Demon Slayer and priestess circles. Sometimes it’s just a little hard to believe.”

“Oh yeah? Well, for your information, my physical appearance won’t age too much from what I look like now. Not until I get into my thousands. Master Katashi said that after your first thousand you look like you’re in a human’s twenties. From there, it differs depending on if you’re a Great Demon or not.”

“Master Katashi? Is that the master you were talking about?”

It took me a moment to realize his name had accidentally slipped out as I passed along his knowledge, and while my immediate response was to silence myself, I slowly managed to allow myself to give Midoriko the same courtesy she had given me.

“…He _was_ my master, yes.” I paused, forcing myself to explain further, “He left Kitabayashi today, before you came along, and therefore I’m no longer his pupil.”

“Where did he plan on going?”

“…He’s always had quite the fascination with humans and their society. He believes that humans and demons are quite similar, and with some effort from both sides, we can live together one day.”

“I see…” I could feel her eyes burning against my skin as she watched me carefully, “And what do you think about that?”

“I think that he’s foolishly optimistic to think it will happen what remains of his lifetime. There’s a lot of distrust, feelings of superiority, and hatred on both sides, after all.”

“So then would I be right in assuming that you are at least open to the idea of working with a human?”

Ah, I haven’t exactly given her an answer about her offer, have I?

“Any human? Probably not. Too much hassle.” I smirked at the sight of a frown forming on her lips before continuing, “But you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

The beginning of a frown turned into a bright smile as she removed the cooked meat from the fire, offering me one of the twigs that had served to keep the meat above the flames and not _in_ them, “One might say that we make a good team.”

Taking the meat from her, I shared a grin with her and cemented our unspoken alliance with my next words, “One might say we would.”

While demons didn’t necessarily need to eat a whole lot to maintain our strengths like humans did, many acquired a taste for human prey instead of what humans considered food. The demons of Kitabayashi sometimes dabbled in eating humans, but most times they just enjoyed hunting them down when the villages were raided. Master Katashi and I ate fish or berries whenever the craving struck.

Midoriko clapped her hands together and brought me out of my reverie.

“Thank you for this meal!”*

She then began eating, unaware of my confusion. I decided to chalk up the action as a human tradition and dug in as well, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere that lasted long after the storm outside passed.

* * *

“This is your last chance to back out, you know.”

“Hmph! I’ve come this far already, if I was uncertain I would’ve left after you told me how far we’d be going.” I eyed her carefully from the corner of my eye as I continued, “This is _your_ last chance to back out as well, Midoriko. While I commend you for wanting to tell everyone you know that you now have a demon companion, I still believe it’s wiser if our agreement was a little more… discreet.”

“You mean secretive, don’t you?”

“Well, if you put it **_that_** way, it certainly sounds like it.”

“You’re right, it probably would be wiser to do as you suggest… But I think that being upfront about it now will help later.”

“Already planning to keep me around, are we? I knew you cared.”

“Oh, be quiet.”

“No really, it touches the old heart.” I smirked wickedly, lightly pressing my fingertips over my heart as she looked over at me with a hint of a smile on her face.

“Have you such little faith, Nozomi?” While her expression was lighthearted, her tone was serious.

We both knew the answer to that question. Even after a week’s journey to this Demon Slayer village which finally appeared on the road we had been walking since the storm subsided, I kept myself at what I considered a reasonable distance from Midoriko – both physically and emotionally. She had been the one who spoke most of the journey, either of little things we came across or human customs I was unfamiliar with, or hinting at more important events in her life. On the other hand, the only thing I had spoken about was my abilities as a healer – which she had asked about after the first couple of days.

Even that conversation had been a guarded one, but I think she understood I was trying. Having no real experience being friendly with those in my age group (relatively speaking), it was rather difficult to piece together the subtle clues of holding a conversation when there was nothing to be gained from it. There was no end goal, no emotion I wanted to elicit, no information I wanted to draw out… It was a muddled haze in which I didn’t really know _what_ I wanted from her and it made me unsure and hesitant where I usually expertly talked my way into achieving my goal. Midoriko seemed to have a good grasp of the art of conversation, though. Not only did she flawlessly continue the friendly banter I tried to start (which usually came out a little snarky) but also allowed the discussion to end where they started a comfortable silence between us until the next topic came to her mind.

In other words, she was surprisingly easy to talk to. It was a little disconcerting, but it also somehow recreated the cautious ease that began our strange relationship.

“Alright, you remember what the plan is?”

I shrugged my shoulders while shooting an impish grin at her, but when she gave me a chiding look I listed off the simple steps she had planned to ease her village (and, from what I understood, her father specifically) into the idea that I didn’t have her under some sort of curse or planned to destroy the village from the inside out.

“You go speak to… Whoever you need to, explain the situation, get us a mission, and hopefully not get locked away while I get hunted down.” She shook her head at me, but we both knew it was a possibility, “While I wait for you by the shrine in that forest over there, so I don’t call all of the Slayers to arms – as it’s a little difficult to have a discussion when everyone’s running around.”

She nodded at my words before sending me away with a wave of her hand as the village’s wooden gates loomed above the next hill.

“Wish me luck.”

“Luck? You don’t need any luck.”

“It’s a figure of- ah, never mind. Stay by the shrine and I’ll come get you when I’ve finished up.”

With that, I left her side and ventured into the forest that resided next to the village. It was a little strange for a village that dealt exclusively in Demon Slaying to have such a blind spot so close to home, but I figured that’s why it was hidden away in the forests and mountains that surrounded it: to avoid being targeted in the first place. After a few minutes of wandering, I eventually came across a small clearing where a small shrine and well came into view. According to Midoriko, whenever the Demon Slayers left on an assignment, they’d stop by the shrine first to ask for a favourable outcome.

Stepping closer to the shrine, I noticed that it had been well taken care of – although the wood was aged and stained as a result of being out in the elements it was still structurally sound and spotless. The light dusting of snow covering it compared to the thick coating the trees in the forest had only confirmed my suspicion that it was cleaned regularly. The same could not be said for the well beside it, however.

The stones that made up the flooring of the well had numerous cracks that seemed to be the work of nature taking back the manmade object. The unevenness of the stones wasn’t hidden by the layer of snow that rested over it, as odd pockets of snow indicated where the chunks of stone had split away and sunk into the ground at differing levels. The simple frame had frost-coated vines crawling up the wood and the rope that once held a bucket was frayed and the container that once hung on it was nowhere to be seen. The wooden cover that had been placed over the well was the only thing that looked to be new, with only a thin dusting of snow in a similar manner as the shrine.

As my eyes lingered on the well, I noticed that while the wind had coated the front and inner side of the right post while the others were only covered in frost, there was a streak of vine-covered wood on the side that faced the well that had been cleared of its seasonal dye. Stepping closer to inspect the strange sight, I could see that the browned vines of the area had been brushed aside to give clear access to the name engraved into the wood: ‘Hotaka Yanagi’. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

With a curious hand, I brushed away more of the snow on the post, revealing that the wood was indented with numerous names that trapped the snow I tried to clean off. The vines that would sprout a vibrant green in the fast-approaching spring crossed over the names as the plant clung tightly to the post as it climbed upwards, and the more I gently pulled at the vines the more names I found scribbled underneath. Hotaka’s name seemed to be newly added to the well’s list, and whoever etched the name into the discoloured wood had to have done so before the last snowfall.

With my fingers still entangled in the vines, I peered at the snowy surface surrounding the well. As expected, a trail of footprints came from the depths of the woods and approached the back of the well before travelling back into the trees again. It was strange, as there was a path of flat stones leading to the entrance of the village from the shrine. They peaked out from the snow as the prints of numerous feet trudged over the powder on the way to the shrine that sat at the end of the path. No one had approached the well from that path: the only prints in the snow came from the ones that went further into the forest. They didn’t approach the post directly, though.

Perhaps they sat on the well cover while they etched the name into the post? It certainly was possible, although the beam that the posts supported was quite low. Only someone small would be able to sit there comfortably.

Shrugging my shoulders at the discovery of the names, I released the vines from my inquisitive fingers and pressed them back into place. It must be just another human custom about wishing for a safe journey or something of the like and hoping that an intangible force grants them. Well, Midoriko said that she did it more for peace of mind than anything, but to me it was somewhat of a weird sentiment.

“…one help!” My head swivelled towards the cry that came from the woods, “Can anyone hear me!?”

Judging by the way the voice was calling out for help so close to the Demon Slayer village, it was probably a human. Since the scent of blood didn’t accompany the scent when the wind changed direction and blew through the woods, the human wasn’t injured too badly. Keenly aware of the fact that a human’s hearing wouldn’t pick up on the cries, I turned my back to the woods and focused my senses on searching the path for Midoriko’s figure instead.

It wasn’t my fault that humans were so incapable of taking care of themselves.

“Please! Someone help me!”

My eyes narrowed in annoyance as my lips curled into a frown as the voice persisted, echoing in my mind loudly until it was joined by the phantasmal voice of a disapproving priestess. Of course, the priestess would be upset if she learned that I did nothing for one of her kind when it was clear they were in distress (at the very least) … But chances are that she never would find out. She would meet me here, at the shrine like the plan stated, and then we would leave to go slay some demons or whatever she was told to do.

Who knows how long that would take? By the time we returned, the human would be dead, missing, or safe and sound. Midoriko would hear of it, sure, but she didn’t know the differences in senses between my kind and hers yet. She would never have to know, either.

…But the thought didn’t fail to conjure up the image of Master Katashi’s knowing eyes.

Resolutely, I crossed my arms and shook my head.

Master Katashi was no longer here to give me that look, so I could do as I pleased. While he might discourage my actions, healer-to-healer, he had no sway over my decisions like a master would his pupil. Just as Midoriko, I was old enough to make my own decisions. I didn’t need Master Katashi’s approval.

My frown soured greatly, the scowl that resulted would be enough to frighten even the mightiest of Demon Slayers – I’m sure.

A silence ushered in the song of birds hidden in the treetops. The chirped melodies were uninterrupted, and as I listened to the symphony I nearly forgot about the human deep within the woods. Except the frown still lingered, and my eyes glanced towards the snowy thicket every few seconds.

No matter how long the silence of the human continued, I _knew_ that my senses were never wrong – never misleading. Not to me.

“I… I want to go home!” It was the wail of a cub*: a human child.

I gave a long glance to the path, silently hoping that Midoriko would appear and I would be able to forget that piece of information as well as the cry for help. As the path remained vacant as far as I could see, I spat out a curse and entered the woods with a furious pace.

* * *

The sight of the human through the trees stopped me in my tracks, and I lowered myself to a crouch as I peaked out from behind the bark of an icy trunk. It had been a while since I entered the forest with the intentions of tracking the child down. Midoriko had probably already arrived at the shrine and wondered if I had gotten ‘cold feet’: another annoyance I now had to deal with because of the cub.

With a breathless sigh, I calmed myself and examined exactly what had caused the child to cry out in the first place.

Black hair fell loose from his high ponytail as small hands were wrapped around his own leg. A look of exhaustion and fear coloured his brown eyes as he tugged on the limb with all his measly might. The ankle of his left leg disappeared through the bark of a hollow log, the snow brushed off the top half of the old wood as he fidgeted clumsily in his attempts to free himself. From the footprints that lead up to his predicament, and the way the snow was pulled away from the edge of the steep cliff a foot above his head…

He had tried to climb up the ledge, not wanting to go around and walk up the smooth slope of heavy snow, and since he was too short to jump up and grab the ledge on his own… He tried to jump from the hollow log and it was unable to support his weight.

What an incredibly dull reason to call out for help.

He did seem to be shivering a little – was he wearing indoor clothes when it was this cold out?

“Miss!” His brown eyes met my blue ones, “Miss! Did you hear me? Please help! I can’t get my foot out!”

“Tch.” The sound left my mouth before I could stop it.

The little brat had seen me peaking out from behind the tree from a surprising distance. It made sense, I guess. Midoriko was often able to tell when I was watching her, even if her back was turned. I was unsure if that was because of her training as a priestess… But as the cub could sense it as well, then the training of a Demon Slayer gave them that annoying ability.

He failed to recognize me as a demon, however… So, he wouldn’t have any experience dealing with demons. Which meant I would probably pass as a human for a little while.

I stood, and being careful to walk directly towards him (so he wouldn’t see that I left no footprints in the snow), I eventually towered over the unlucky child. He straightened himself up at my approach, patiently waiting as I got closer until he smiled brightly at me.

“Say miss, I haven’t seen you around the village. Are you a traveller? Why are you out in the woods? Were you visiting the shrine? So, you’re a priestess, then? Do you think you can get my foot out? I think I can walk, so I can make sure you get home safe. My father – don’t tell him about this – says that after a storm snow-demons can sometimes come down from the mountaintops and that…”

His eyes widened, and I resisted the urge to sneer as the realization slowly dawned on him.

“You’re…”

“I’m…?” My eyes gleamed as he leaned his small body away as I reached out my hand.

“A demon!”

My fingers curled around the absurdly thin fabric that the child was wearing this time of year, and held fast as he began flailing wildly.

“Get away from me! I-I’ll kill you if you don’t do as I say!” I hardly noticed the force behind his clenched fists as the wild swings sometimes met their mark, and so scoffed at his words.

I wasn’t terribly surprised by the immediate change once he realized what I was. According to Master Katashi and Midoriko, it was common for them to show _exactly_ how two-faced they were when confronted with something they despised and feared. One thing I couldn’t ignore coming from the brat’s mouth was that laughable threat.

After all, he called me over here to help him and it seemed like he didn’t understand what a _real_ threat was.

“Are you threatening me, child?” With a harsh tug, he was freed from his predicament as he stopped flailing and clenched onto my arm to keep himself upright in my grasp, “I would think that a Demon Slayer chose words that he could keep.”

A sinister grin unfolded on my face as I continued, “Pick your next words _carefully_. Once I grow tired of lies, I tend to find **_all sorts of ways_** to keep myself entertained.”

“I–”

“ _Carefully, now_.”

“…Once my sister hears of this, you’ll really get it!”

“Sister?” An eyebrow raised skeptically, “What ‘sister’ are you–?”

I cut myself off as I recognized the boy’s scent.

“Ah! There she is! You’re gonna regret this now, demon!”

Before he could name the woman, who stepped out of the woods behind me, the name slipped from my lips as I turned to meet her gaze.

“Midoriko.”

The priestess seemed flustered, her cheeks reddened and her long black hair was dishevelled. Big brown eyes flickered from my figure to that of the human child and they hardened considerably as they stared at the fabric bundled between my fingers. Her sword hung by her hip, and she straightened her posture once she had taken time to survey the scene.

“Midoriko _Yanagi_.”

The name from the post clicked far too late, and the footsteps I had practically followed all the way to the human child became a glaringly obvious clue as to who the kid I was currently lifting off the ground by his kimono was. My body remained half-turned towards Midoriko as my icy blue eyes met the smug grin on the boy’s face before travelling up to the warm brown eyes that were nearly identical to the priestess’s.

Hotaka _Yanagi_. Midoriko’s brother.

* * *

 

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

**"Thank you for this meal!"*:** This is pretty much Midoriko saying "Itadakimasu!". Which is normally translated into 'saying grace' before eating or the general concept of being thankful for the meal that's about to be eaten. Most demons don't really share the same sentiment.

**Cub*** : 'child'. As Nozomi's lived her life with white tiger demons, the terms for certain things has rubbed off on her. Cub is the term for a white tiger child. But as Master Katashi has been dabbling in the human 'world', she uses the two terms 'child' and 'cub' interchangeably.

* * *

O

* * *

Actually quite proud of myself - moved into Rez to start my second year of Uni, actually have a nice and orderly room for once (...it won't be that way in a week, but a girl can hope), and am still working on some chapters! Woot Woot! I AM UNSTOPPABLE!

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Hmm... this development seems troubling.

I wonder what Midoriko's father said?

Is a betrayal coming?! If so, who will it come from?!

Will Kirara make an appearance?

NOZOMIKO IS BREAKING APART AND SESSHOMARU IS STILL SO FAR AWAY!

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	6. Rough Around the Edges

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 6: Rough Around the Edges

Aside from the boy's grunts of struggle as he tried to peal my hands from his clothes, it was quiet. Not even the wind blew through the wintry trees of the forest, most of which had shed their leaves until spring. The hushed silence hovered heavily in the air, causing every slow breath from my lungs to both pull it in to settle over my heart, and release a clouded breath as I prepared myself for what was to come.

I knew exactly what the situation looked like to Midoriko. It _was_ what I was doing, after all: intimidating her little brother. While I hadn't planned to go much farther than threatening him, not unless the boy grew to be more of a nuisance than I expected, being a demon wouldn't necessarily create any doubts over my supposed intentions.

Not that I believed it should.

While I bore no ill-will towards humans, I was still more than willing to kill any of them who barred me from my intentions. It was what all demons were raised to do - survive. Survive by being the strongest so that none could stand against you, so that only foolish beings begging for their slaughter would be your opposition.

Whether that was the right code to live by... well, new doubts were slowly forming. In fact, the more time I spent with Midoriko, the more I questioned the morality of all my decisions and the ripples they could potentially cause. Humans had such frightfully short lives, Midoriko was no exception, and so they wanted to know if they were making the right choices and if their own bright flash of existence had an impact that would be remembered. Demons like myself, on the other hand, had enough time to right the 'wrong' choices we made. The only impact we saw as a worthy goal would be to be strong and _survive_.

Morality had never been a question in Kitabayashi.

Either you were strong, or you weren't.

Only the strong could decide what was right and what was wrong. So, it wasn't _how_ a demon lived that kept us up at night like it did humans. It was _how long_ we lived that concerned us more - how long we could continue getting stronger and ultimately decide whether our actions were right or wrong in the end.

"L-let me go!"

My attention was drawn back to the struggling boy, and I idly wondered how long it had been since Midoriko joined us in the forest. The cub's face was reddened in both anger and exertion, and while the glare he sent my way was nothing to be concerned about, I could feel a much stronger gaze drilling into my back.

"As you wish, cub." The fabric of his thin kimono slipped through my fingers as I released my hold on it. Within moments, the boy let out a surprised yelp as he tumbled to the ground, cushioned by the thick swell of powdery snow. My blue eyes turned towards Midoriko's figure, who still showed no indication of moving - offensively or defensively. My gaze curiously trailed over the white sheath that covered her sword at her side before movement from the boy consumed my attention.

The cub scrambled to his feet and disturbed the previously untouched snow, some of which was thrown up into the air in his haste. A flash of something sharp and shiny in his small hand drew my eye as he reared his arm back to thrust the weapon towards me. I was a lot faster than a human child, so the action failed to concern me. Had he been older; stronger, faster, more experienced... Then I would feel a sense of urgency at such a sight - an incoming attack from a human. Old, however, this boy was not. Thus, I focused my attention on planning how I would react.

While this boy was Midoriko's younger brother, any who would attack me were fair game for retribution in my mind. That's not to say that I wouldn't be lenient with Midoriko's kin: I would grant him few precious seconds to save his life and back down.

With that in mind, I hardened the skin hidden by my light blue kimono - changing the human-like colouring to the same blue-tinted hue. Small densely packed ice crystals bloomed across the covered skin, lightly pricking my body as I gained a second, harder, layer of Glacial Skin that protruded about a centimetre from the surface of my unshielded skin.

Glacial Skin, another ability I had given a name to, was the ability to defend myself if all other measures had failed and my enemy got too close for comfort. Being a snow-demoness, my body's natural defences were low - I didn't have a hide that offered more protection than... well, my skin was like that of a human's in all honesty. To compensate for that, I could create points on my skin ('Glacial Points') that would generate the ice crystals and anchor them to my skin as the crystals stretched out to connect to other Glacial Points. The small area of skin that surrounded these Glacial Points turned blue - a side-effect of the ability. The ridge where the crystals generated by two different Glacial Points combined was usually the place where weapons would catch and break if enough force was applied. The strength of my Glacial Skin depended on how far apart I positioned the Glacial Points, and how thick the crystals were (the thickest I'd managed to create had the width of an inch). As the ability was rather draining, and the attacks it could usually stop were easily avoidable.

Seeing that my opponent was a child, and his weapon was weak, there was no need for a thicker defence.

I arched my back, predatorily towering over the boy as I stretched the fingers dangling by my side. The knuckles cracked as I rolled my shoulder subtly, preparing myself to shoot my arm forward and snap the neck of the child as soon as he broke whatever improvised weapon he held against my reinforced skin. His small body would fall limp, and crumple into the snow below â€“ leaving his kin to avenge him. A slow exhale left my lips, ushering out a visible breath as I cooled my body and prepared my abilities for when I had to face Midoriko after the death of her kid brother.

It wasn't what I had planned to do when I had met the brat or Midoriko. The thought of killing humans, Midoriko in particular, brought me no joy - they were weak and frail compared to demons, and slaughtering them like the Kitabayashi demons proved only to bring danger. Those that killed humans only wished for empty battles where the winner was obvious, and would bring no advancement in skill or prestige.

Now that I finally wrenched freedom from my own desire for revenge - a desire that kept me subservient and complacent only to further my own needs... any who now dared to raise a weapon against me would pay dearly. I would no longer allow myself to be shackled down helplessly to anything or anyone - be it myself or others.

The brown eyes of Midoriko's kin met my perilous blue ones.

For a moment, I faltered.

Midoriko would jump into action as soon as her kin fell. It would lead to a long, and difficult, battle between the priestess and myself. I had little doubt that I would be the last one standing, as Master Katashi trained me well for more years than she'd been alive, but I also had little doubt that I would have _trouble_ remaining on my feet. With that in mind, my instinctive solution to this situation couldn't be more misguided. Just how would the deaths of these two humans benefit me?

Had I not agreed to travel with Midoriko, as I had nothing better to do in the world? Had I not accepted that this would be a troublesome process because of humans and their natural (and life-saving) instinct to have a distrust for demons? Had I not held myself to a higher standard than lowly demons who would kill those too weak to harm them? Weak beings like humans?

Too easily had I fell into the same mindset of the honourless Kitabayashi warriors, and I snarled at myself in disdain.

The moments I had to think were over - the long and sharpened tooth (or the nail of some demon's claw) that the cub held in his hand neared me. The tooth pressed against my protective Glacial skin, the weak force driving it and the low-level demon it came from barely pierced the layers of fabric that covered my stomach. As it poked through the black folds of my hakama I forced my arm to remain at my side, and I hardly felt the way it snapped as it stuck into one of the grooves the intersecting ice crystals had formed when they joined together. The sound of the tooth snapping off echoed through the forest and in the distance, I could hear startled birds flapping their wings in alarm.

The snow cushioned the fall of the broken tip of the tooth. The boy's face fell just as quickly when he realized what had happened. But, instead of focusing on the fear that now crossed over the boy's face, I turned to Midoriko.

The priestess had drawn her sword, the sharp tip pointed at my figure still. Within a heartbeat she slide the metal back into the sheath and watched me carefully as I studied her. While she had drawn her sword, she severely underestimated how quickly I could kill a defenseless child and her decision to not draw forth her energy to assist her in protecting her kin was almost as insulting as raising a weapon to me without the intentions of battle.

It was something not to be taken lightly in Kitabayashi: raising a weapon to point it at another (or pointing someone out in general) was a declaration of a duel - one that would most likely end in death or mercy.

To the Kitabayashi, they were almost one in the same.

Offering your defeated opponent mercy was to pity - it was to force your opponent to bow their heads to you and declare you mightier and wiserâ€¦ and _right_. Those who accepted the offering had to comply to those rules or they would choose death.

When training, there was a slightly different process. To teach young cubs respect for those older and wiser than themselves, those who did not accept the mercy of their opponents would receive a long cut across their back from an ink-stained blade. To Kitabayashi warriors, scars on the back were a great shame. As demons, chances were that the wound would heal and if any scarring occurred it would be barely visible. The ink remained, staining the healing skin with a scar that would never be forgotten nor forgiven.

It was the Kitabayashi way to teach their young that those who are strong decided life and death.

Master Katashi, when in the mood to talk about years long ago, said that it had not always been the Kitabayashi way. Somewhere, the demons decided that strength was more important than other things. The old healer also said that this shift in ideals also brought on the end of healing, and with it, the start of much darker and less honourable intentions.

While I firmly believed that those who were strong decided life and death, I did not believe (thanks to Master Katashi's incessant lectures) that physical strength was the only path the strong should choose. I only had to look at the most recent generations of cubs to witness it - the frailty that came with having one strength instead of many that unquestionably shamed their ancestors.

But, I brushed aside my thoughts in favour of narrowing my eyes at the puzzling human woman who understood nothing of the customs my people once had, "You would allow me the chance to raise a hand against your kin?"

Did she not care for the child? Did she raise her sword because I was hovering over a fellow human and not because her own kid brother was in my clutches? Did she still not know that I would rest well all the same, a human cub's blood on my hands or not?

The last question pissed me off. If she was once again underestimating me, not fully understanding - or not _wanting_ to understand - that I was more than willing to strike any human down if their death benefitted me...

Well, she would do well to have that child not get in my way again.

She shook her head at me, rolling her eyes at my pointed look, "I figured you wouldn't do something so foolish, Nozomi." She advanced towards the cowering boy, fearful not of me this time, but of the look on his sister's face.

"And you, Hotaka! Why are you out here?! What possessed you to do such a thing when Father has forbidden you to leave the village until you're of age?! Sneaking off into the woods could get you into a lot of trouble - and not just from Father!"

"But, sister-!" The cub glanced towards my figure and that of Midoriko's as she came to a stop beside me and offered her hand to help him up, "She's a demon! A snow demon! It's so close to the village, why are you not killing it?!" He pointed his finger at me, and once again I suppressed the urge to respond to the insolence of the thoughtless action.

Humans knew nothing of Kitabayashi customs, after all. Just as I knew nothing of human ones.

"Be careful where you point that finger, cub." It didn't stop me from sending a frigid glare his way, though.

At the sight of my snarl and glare, he quickly grasped the hand Midoriko offered and helped himself off the snow-covered ground. The snow that stuck to his wet kimono slid down the fabric and returned to the white below as he hid himself behind Midoriko's body. He peered around Midoriko, confused and curious brown eyes watching every movement I made as I folded my arms over my waist.

"She's an ally, Hotaka." She ignored the look of disbelief that crossed his face, "Why are you out here, Hotaka? It's far too cold and you _know_ the rules."

The boy said nothing. His brown eyes fell to the snow and they remained there as the silence dragged on. Midoriko seemed unwilling to say anything else, and the boy was adamant at not responding to any of her questions as he shivered in the cold.

"Midoriko, we are wasting time with that cub. Let us be on our way."

I turned, leaving no footprints in the snow as I walked towards the tree I had peered around to see the boy in his predicament. Katashi's bow and his quiver were unmoved from where I had set them down earlier. Glancing around the frosty bark of the tree, I saw Midoriko crouch down in front of the cub, grabbing his shoulders earnestly and speaking to him in low, soothing, tones. He still refused to meet her eyes, and Midoriko turned her gaze towards me as she gestured for me to continue through the forest.

Raising an eyebrow at her, I shrugged and made my way through the mostly-bare forest silently. As I reached the shrine once more, snowflakes softly drifted down from the sky and started adding a fresh layer of snow over the thick blanket that already covered the world.

I liked the snow. There had once been a time, long ago, where I despised the stillness and dullness it brought to the vibrant colours that faded until the seasons changed once more. When the snow pooled into puddles and the frost released the world from its sparkling touch - when colours came back to life in greens and yellows, and the birds sung loudly from their trees...

But as I grew older, I learned to appreciate the stillness in everything. The silence that the blanket of snow brought - how it seemed to quiet everything. It was a world that was different from that of the other seasons, and it was impossible to miss when the Autumn shifted into Winter. It was a season that provided a lot of silence you could fill with your own thoughts, whether they were welcome or haunting.

If Midoriko had come in any other season... well, its hard to say if I would have been less open to the idea of working with a human to slay other demons.

"Nozomi, sorry to keep you waiting," I turned to the sound of Midoriko's voice, seeing her armoured figure coming from the forest with the boy clinging to her back, "We'll have to make a short stop at the village to drop Hotaka off, but then we'll be on our way for our first assignment!" She led the way up the path of stones leading away from the shrine, but her voice was strained as she spoke of the village.

"Then your father took the situation well?" I gave her a sidelong glance as I walked beside her, seeing a small frown spread across her face at the mention of her father.

"...Not exactly." She glanced downwards briefly, before sensing my eyes on her and turning her gaze to me with an even smaller smile, "We'll be out of the village for a little while: there are a band of Harpies* that have been wreaking havoc on a few villages. Our task is to track the bird-demons back to their nest and destroy it."

"Seems easy enough."

The harpies were vicious demons that, from Katashi's knowledge, didn't like the wolf-demon tribes too much. Even he wasn't sure what had sparked the animosity between the two, but they'd apparently choose to eat the wolf-demons over humans if they were nearby. I hadn't seen one in person, but in the books Master Katashi kept around, they were depicted as large pigeon-like birds with harpie-like bodies attached to them from the waist-up. They had large mouths with sharp teeth, and because of their wings the mobility the creatures had was nothing to laugh at.

Tracking them wouldn't be easy - they could cover a lot of ground.

I sent another pointed look at Midoriko, wondering if she chose this assignment just to avoid her father for a longer period than the other jobs would've (as there were probably several to go around, with the amount of demons who viewed humans as nothing but a way to kill time). My blue gaze met the brown eyes of the cub that hung off her shoulders, and as we both refused to look away first I wondered if Midoriko even saw the young cub much.

We walked in silence. The soft crunch of snow underneath Midoriko's feet the only sound that accompanied us on the path other than the distant chirping of tireless birds that was too far away for my human companions to hear. The breath of said humans clouded the air, and I idly noted that the air did seem to have a nice chill to it.

As the forest thinned out, and we approached the wooden walls of the village, the cub looked away first to gaze at his home.

"Halt!"

Two armoured humans prevented further progress to the opening of the wall, as I could only _just_ see the first few houses within the walls from the entrance. They shifted their raised weapons towards me once they recognized Midoriko and the cub on her back, much to my irritation.

"Midoriko, Hotaka!" The second human greeted them while the first never allowed his eyes to stray from me, "What are you doing with... _that_?"

" _That_ can hear you." I growled at the second human, as I kept my glare trained on the first, "And _that_ is not impressed with you thinking it can't hear you."

Their weapons inched closer to my figure, easily gliding through the air with practiced movements. The first human was equipped with a scowl and beady eyes, a sword in his hands. The second human wore a more neutral expression, her hands tightly gripping her naginata. They didn't pose too much of a threat to me, but if I happened to kill them, more would flood from inside the village - something that was far too much of a hassle to not outweigh the good of stopping them from pointing their weapons at me brazenly.

I bristled at the hand Midoriko gently placed on my shoulder, and it seemed to diffuse some of the tension in the air as I sent a sharp glare at the priestess, which she promptly ignored.

"Nozomi is an ally. I need to bring Hotaka back into the village and get him home safely." She turned to me, "I will be just a moment, Nozomi."

Nodding brusquely at her, I watched her push her way past the humans and turn the corner into the village. With Midoriko out of my sight, I turned my attention back to the Demon Slayers in front of me. They were both wearing armour forged from demon bones, and the stale smell of it had me wrinkling my nose at them.

The snow fell faster, now, and in thicker flakes. As the minutes drew on, the armour they wore grew covered in the soft whiteness, while I remained untouched by the snow. It fell around me, gliding past my figure as if it wasn't there to begin with and marking me as a demon of the snow and cold.

"Lower your weapons, humans." I grinned mischievously - the two humans were the perfect way to entertain myself until Midoriko returned, "I have no intentions on killing you now."

The two glanced towards each other, both unwilling to do what I asked. After a moment, the man took an aggressive step towards me as his sword inched closer to my neck.

"We'll not allow-!" His voice took a deeper tone as he started to threaten me...

"-Wow! It's a genuine snow-demoness! I can't believe Midoriko was telling the truth!"

But the man was cut off by the voice of another human, who came running up from the village. He had long and unruly dark brown hair, as if he had just woken from sleeping and hadn't bothered to brush the strands straight. He had a jovial air about him as he pushed his way past the Slayers, giving them no choice but to lower their weapons as he approached me, stepping in the way of the metal purposefully.

Something about him was unsettling, though. And while I couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly that made me feel as if a void was approaching me, threatening to pull me in and swallow me whole, I steeled myself against his presence and refused to listen to my instincts to flee or fight.

"Is Midoriko known for her dishonesty?"

"No, no! Nothing of the sort! Quite the opposite. She's very honest and kindâ€¦" He bowed his head to me, "Forgive my rudeness, snow-demoness, my name's Souma Fujioka. May I ask for your name?"

Instead of answering, I observed the two Slayers behind him. They didn't seem to know what to look at: each other, Fujioka, or myself. Either way, their weapons remained at their sides - fingers still grasping them tightly â€“ but they seemed content to let Fujioka and me speak.

Did no one know what to think of the man?

"Ah, _them_?" There was a snarl in his voice that I could barely pick up on, and without removing his eyes from my form, he addressed the two, "Kazuki, Maiko, please return to your posts at the gate - I'd like to speak to this woman _alone_."

The two hesitated, and Fujioka grew impatient, " _Now_!" and almost as an afterthought, "Please. This lady travels with Midoriko, does she not? Midoriko would hardly choose an untrustworthy demoness as her companion."

While still uncertain, they slowly removed themselves from my attention and stood at attention in front of the opening in the wooden walls, sending wary glances towards the two of us every now and then. Fujioka laughed lowly as my gaze turned back to him, briefly flashing his eyes towards them before fixing his dark eyes back on me.

"Jeeze, I swear I could just kill _them_ sometimes, right? It would spare them from incurring the wrath from one such as yourself, at least..." He laughed again as I raised an eyebrow, "I kid, I kid! Of course, I'm just joking. I figured you'd appreciate that kind of dark humour."

His eyes weren't laughing.

"So, might I get your name now?"

His dark brown eyes were haunting, and didn't hold the same warmth that Midoriko or even her kin had. He spoke easily of murder - not of animals but of the humans of his own village - and held no fear of a demoness so close to their village... on the contrary, he seemed to be rather excited at my arrival. While I was quite tempted to link all those things together as similarities for my own actions against my kin, the uneasiness brewing under my skin only increased.

I disliked the feeling, and decided to lessen it by using his unusual interest in me to gather information.

"You may call me Nozomi, human." I stared him down evenly, refusing to bow my head in greeting, "You speak of Midoriko in rather friendly terms, Fujioka. I've gotten the feeling that relations between her and her father are... tense. Is this correct?"

"Miss Nozomi, eh? A wonderful name. And please, call me 'Souma'." He smiled, "Yes, Midoriko and her father aren't on good terms. I've known her for pretty much my whole life, and he's always pushed her to do better. Too hard, some might say. Even now, when she's probably stronger than all of us Demon Slayers combined, he's still tough on her." He paused, "It's... led to some friction in the past."

"But her decision to take a demoness along on her journeys is probably the most explosive one from both sides!"

"Hmm, I see." That meant that Midoriko truly wanted to give our arrangement a chance, at the very least, "Are you a Demon Slayer as well, _Fujioka_?" He beamed as the conversation turned to him being the subject, even though a small frown spread across his lips at my use of his last name over his first.

I smirked.

"Well, sort of. A lot of the teams that Tatsuya, Midoriko's father, puts together has someone with at least some medical knowledge. I happen to be the one in my team who knows how to sew them back together, should a demon rip them apart." Another grin, "But I'm still trained as a Demon Slayer as well."

"Why isn't Midoriko travelling with others, then?"

His smile slipped as Midoriko came up again, "That's her father's doing. She's strong enough to not really have problems on her own, and this way she'll get stronger faster." He shrugged, "That's what the story is, anyway. I think there's a lot more going on behind closed doors that led to that decision though..."

"You seem to know an awful lot, Fujioka."

"I'm a _very_ good listener." He tilted his head to the side as he gazed at me curiously, "Tell me, Miss Nozomi, what's a demoness like yourself doing travelling with Midoriko? I've been wondering since the news spread with Midoriko's return: Why? What would a demoness have to gain by slaying her own kind? What sort of experiences do you have to make you side with humans over demons...?" His voice trailed on the last question, indicating that he wanted to continue but decided to end his questioning there.

"So you want a reason?" At his slow nodding as he still analyzed my features, I laughed, "Humans are so uninteresting."

He looked ecstatic at my statement, his dull eyes flashing with interest, "Then why Midoriko?"

Throughout the conversation with the human, I occupied myself with trying to decipher what exactly left me so uneasy about the man, what that 'void' was. So far, I had only come to one conclusion, one that would explain the thinly disguised voracious look in his eyes. A spark of morbid curiosity ran through my being, and I decided to humour the man to see where it led.

"Curiosity is such a precarious thing, Fujioka. Too little of it and the result is a closed and boring life, too much, and it becomes dangerous." I grinned wickedly, "Midoriko intrigues me. Enough to ignore all the dangers of curiosity in favour of chasing the elusive satisfaction that comes at its end."

I slinked towards him coyly, laying a hand over his chest as I pushed him into the wooden walls behind him before pressing my body flush against his. I ran my hand upwards, well-trimmed nails smoothing down his kimono before leaving the fabric behind and slipping my fingers onto his warm skin. His entire body shivered as I trailed my fingers over the skin of his neck, hovering there for a moment as my eyes flashed dangerously up at his before grasping his stubbled chin and pulling his face towards mine. My other hand pressed gently into his chest as I pushed my body even closer to his, subtly pinning him to the wall.

We were kindred spirits, in a way.

The two Demon Slayers were probably oblivious to this man, and the way he looked down at me. The whole village in its entirety - filled with priests, priestesses, and Demon Slayers - probably didn't realize what kind of monster they housed within their walls: too focused on the monsters outside of their walls than the ones brewing within, I supposed.

The differences between us were far greater than the similarities, and the spark of curiosity dimmed as I was left disappointed in the discovery.

The uneasiness I felt in his presence faded away as I identified him. He was a human who, if he had the chance, would fall in with demons rather than humans. He cared not for the people he grew up with, and probably wouldn't hesitate to cut them down if the opportunity ever arose. The way his gaze had barely left me since our meeting and the desire burning under the surface was not of lust, per se, but of a veiled interest of my heritage. The most dangerous aspect of all, I mused, was that he still showed no fear at my advancement. There had been a flicker of curiosity and the excitement that it brought, but no fear. A being without fear was dangerous, indeed. Worst of all...

He was bored.

"Have you ever felt such a thing, Fujioka? That kind of curiosity? The kind that consumes you?" I tilted my head as I looked imploringly into his eyes, "I ask, because..." I pulled his head down, noting that he offered no resistance, and placed my mouth next to his ear, " _I know what you are consumed by_." I pulled away, untangling myself from the human as I inspected the way he made no attempt to pull himself away from the wall as well as the way his eyes idly traced my figure once more.

My whispered words were half of a bluff, while the other half was speculation. The truth was, I wasn't too sure on what lay just beneath the surface of this human - and I was in no rush to find out. I figured it was only a matter of time until he revealed himself for what he was.

But, in the meantime, I could speculate. A human that longed to be a demon? Or, at the very least, act 'demonic' in the eyes of humans? Yes, the similarities ended rather quickly the more I examined him: The tasteless way he let his guard down simply because I was a demon and introduced himself truly, the lack of courage to do what he willed in his corrupted heart, the fearless way he cast aside his human capabilities to admire a demon's instead...

What a miserable creature.

"While I have no real interest in hunting demons, it is by far the more entertaining sport than the alternative, so..." I smiled sweetly as my gaze froze over into a glare, "... _don't bore me_."

His face fell at the sudden turn of the conversation, but before I could further imprint the idea of not becoming _my_ problem, Midoriko joined us, "Nozomi, must you always resort to your wicked games?" and she had heard my last comment.

"Why, a game's not fun unless it's wicked in nature, Midoriko~!"

"Sorry, Fujioka. Please pay no heed to her - she enjoys entertaining herself this way."

With only a slanted smile on my face, my eyes proceeded to tell him that what I said was the **_only_** thing he should heed.

"Oh, there's no need for that, Yanagi! I found our conversation quite... enlightening!"

"Really?" Midoriko sent me a glance, which I returned with a cheery smile, "That's... good?"

"I believe we should get started on our assignment, Midoriko." I started walking away from Fujioka without another word to him.

I heard Midoriko say her goodbyes to the man before running to catch up to me, matching my pace as she fell in line beside me. She pleasantly started humming a tune as we started our first journey together, and it wasn't until after the village was out of sight that I interrupted her.

"That human, do you know him well?"

"Hmm? Who, Fujioka?" She thought for a moment, "Kind of. He's a little older than me, but he always looked after me when my parents were away. He never got along well with kids his own age, so we used to hang out a little when we were young."

"...I see." He wasn't as friendly with Midoriko as he said, it seems. Using her last name when she appeared was all the proof I needed, but hearing it from her own mouth further cemented the fact.

"He... has always been a little strange-"

"Avoid him whenever possible."

Midoriko paused in her stride as I continued walking. It took her a moment to process what I said before she came running up to take her place beside me again. There was a long stretch of silence, where she was waiting for me to provide more detail over why I wanted her to avoid him. But I adamantly offered no explanation, as anything further would be admitting that I held more concern for her safety then the bare minimum I was required to as her travelling partner. At the moment, revealing that fact to her would open the way to a flood of questions that I couldn't answer yet - whether they would be her questions or my own, I wasn't sure.

"...Alright?" Apparently, he had been a little _more_ than strange if Midoriko was willing to accept it without any further explanation.

After another moment, I moved from one serious topic to another, "I had planned to kill your kin." I watched her face carefully for hints about how she felt about that statement that she wouldn't commit to her words.

"I... know." She took a deep breath, meeting my gaze steadily as she continued, "But you didn't kill him." Her voice grew soft and her brown eyes melted with warmth, "Do _you_ even know why you didn't?"

I pointedly ignored her question and turned my eyes to the path ahead, "You put your own kin at risk easily."

"You killed your own kin not too long ago, I recall."

"No kin of mine were in that village."

She laughed a little, and the sound brought a small smile to my face before I quickly hid it from her eyes, "You are a good person, Nozomi, if a little rough around the edges."

With nothing to say to that statement, taken off-guard by the sincerity in her voice, I clicked my tongue in mild annoyance and picked up my pace. I willed away the childish impulse to prove her wrong just to spite the warmth bubbling in my chest.

* * *

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

  **Harpies*:** These are the 'Birds of Paradise' that are the archenemy of the wolf-demon tribe (Koga, anyone?). They are referenced to in the manga as 'harpies' and it seemed more apt for Midoriko, a demon slayer/priestess to name them by that name rather than 'birds of paradise'.

* * *

O

* * *

Aaaaand, I have foiled University's goal to have me be a good student and all around productive adult once more! Kidding, though. Nothing can make that happen. Anyways, It's been a while since I posted anything (been on a OP binge and also committed to actually starting a Stardew Valley fanfic with Amaranthyn (you should check it out if it interests you, I'm enjoying writing it a lot), as Uni's kept me busy and I've been facing a lot of family drama recently.

But, hey, at least I'm trying to get back on track!

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Welp. that was a weird interaction with that Fujioka fellow...

Nozo sure is warming up to the idea of travelling with Midoriko, huh?

Is a betrayal coming?! If so, who will it come from?!

Kirara might make an appearance soon?!

NOZOMIKO IS GOING STRONG!

I wonder when Sesshomaru's gonna join in on the fun...

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	7. Clashing Views

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring. 

Chapter 7: Clashing Views 

My skin burned under the scalding summer sun, and I pressed myself further into the cool wooden walls of the house Midoriko was rummaging through. The thin shadow of said house offered little protection from the heat that clung to my skin, but it was better than nothing. The frantic waving of the fan that had resided in my obi until the summer began failed to lessen the heat of my skin. It was almost midday, so the places which offered a respite from the added warmth the sunlight contained were few and far between – the only reason there was even the slightest shadow for me to cling to was because of the narrow awning that extended from the door.  

While I was still unfamiliar with the aspects of human lives, seeing as this was the only building that took up a large area of land in the center of the village, I believed that an ‘shop’ granted me my small respite. We had only visited one or two of them on our missions, but in both cases, they had a large space filled with items of all kinds and were in the middle of everything. Normally, we stayed outside of most villages. Midoriko could usually get the local temple to grant us a place to stay, and if that failed, the village head would offer us one of his own beds – if that village had sought the Demon Slayers services in the first place. It was only when our hunt took us farther from the village that paid us that we had to look elsewhere for shelter, setting up camp in the nearby area or finding some friendly villagers with extra space to take us in for the night.  

While we could usually enter the temples without any problems, there had been a few shrines that had a barrier protecting the inside from demons. Midoriko could disable part of the barrier and allow me to pass through without alerting those inside. It was a skill I had yet to learn from her, as I could only shatter barriers instead of peeling back only a small portion. It wasn’t too difficult to learn (at first, Midoriko had not realized why I wanted her to create some barriers for me), as the technique I founded ‘Shatter’ on was Icicle Burst. Specifically, how I could create an imbalance in my own energy to cause my ice creations to rupture into a shower of shards. Pairing the ability to create an imbalance in energy with my ability to sneak my energy into that of another being’s (as I did in Energy Healing), I eventually found that I could disrupt and destroy barriers.  

Midoriko didn’t exactly know what to think of the skill at first, but eventually she warmed up to the idea of trying to teach me how to disable barriers temporarily instead – something that hadn’t quite worked out so far. Her unease at first was understandable, I guess, as it takes a lot of concentration to put up a barrier and so having it shatter suddenly could be very disorienting. I think it took a while for her to understand that I wouldn’t be going around to all the shrines and breaking down barriers on a whim, which was the deciding factor in helping me train further – so that I would be the only demon entering the previously protected area before the priestesses or priests could erect another to keep the others out.  

Whether we managed to get shelter in a temple or in a village, we managed to pass on through without too much trouble. Aside from the curious looks my unusually coloured eyes – humans tended to have darker coloured eyes, it seems – none really questioned if I was anything other than a human travelling alongside the priestess. The pointed ears weren’t a problem, either, if hidden correctly. My tendency to alert them to my heritage as a way of entertaining myself had been the only problem we had encountered – but Midoriko would easily play it off as a bad joke since I had a ‘weird sense of humour’. Which was true, as the shocked look on the faces of the humans that had agreed to take us in for the night was something that had me grinning for hours. But what kept me chuckling for days was the look on Midoriko’s face when I did so.  

Unfortunately, now that it was summer, we were camping in the forest more often than not. While the shade found nestled deep between the trees was heavenly and offered a break from human houses which trapped the heat and humidity inside, I did miss amusing myself with the humans that took us in.  

Even when we decided to seek out an actual bed instead of one made from twigs and leaves (on Midoriko’s request), I was usually far too uncomfortable in the heat to have any  _real_  fun with our human hosts, much to the priestess’s relief.  

“Are you finished yet, Midoriko? I’d like to find some food in one of these houses  _before_  I burst into flames, if possible!” I called out to her through the open window, turning my head slightly before seeing her stop rummaging through the cupboards and side rooms in favour of sticking her head out through the door to stare me down fiercely.  

“You’ve been saying that for a while, Nozomi, and I’m still waiting for it happen!” She paused, having dealt with my last (and mostly) humorous comment before dealing with the others, “Finished yet? What do you think I’m trying to do?”  

“I don’t know, ‘innocently’ torture me for one reason or another?” I kicked a pebble idly as I wrinkled my nose at the disgustingly fresh scent that permeated the village. It would only get worse as the summer got hotter.  

Her eyes widened at me, and she revealed her armoured figure as she held up a tool of some sort. It had a long handle, with a broad and flat wooden piece fastened atop the staff. A short piece of rounded wood was used as a grip, I presumed.  

At my blank stare, she shook the tool again, “This... is a shovel. And we’re going to bury the dead.” She gestured to the inside of the ‘shop’, “I’ve only found one so far, so I’m looking for a second.”  

“Wait, what?” I raised a brow as I looked at the ‘shovel’, “Why are we going to bury them? They’re already dead, we can’t do anything for them.”  

“Why?!” She looked at me incredulously, as if I’d grown a second head, “Because leaving them out in is incredibly disrespectful! We need to bury them to put their souls at rest!”  

“What kind of rule is that?” I folded my arms as I returned her look, “They’re corpses now, their ‘souls’ should get over it.” Their souls had already departed for the Netherworld, whatever ‘souls’ Midoriko rattled on about were just a figment of human fantasy – or these ‘souls’ were a figure of speech for humans making their own peace with the deaths of the villagers...  

“How can you say that?!”  

“What do you mean?! Why should I care if these guys,” I gestured to the carcasses of the villagers that were strewn over the entire village, cut down one by one and leaving no survivors, “are eaten by animals or demons or whatever comes across them first? Why do you care? You don’t know them, and they didn’t know you! Leaving them out is better than having them slowly rot underground – nature will clean up its own just fine without your help!”  

She blinked, as if she couldn’t believe the words that came from my mouth, “I can’t believe…” She stopped, took a breath, and started again, “How did your village deal with the dead, then?”  

I took a second to think back to my life in Kitabayashi before answering, noting that the two seasons that I had spent with Midoriko seemed to have enough memories to stretch over years as well, “Most Kitabayashi warriors died during raids, so the bodies were left there for the humans to do with as they willed. If possible, the armour and weaponry were recovered from the body before the raiding party returned home.” I paused, remembering Master Katashi’s stories about his own mentor, “There were a few cases where the older demons had reached the end of their lifespans and died in the village. When this happened, the kin of the deceased would take the body out into the forest and dump it there.”  

Midoriko looked like she didn’t know what to say, and so she stayed silent.  

It wasn’t surprising: human customs and beliefs were vastly different from demon ones. Sure, I never really clued her into the differences on the demon side of things whenever they came up, but she never really seemed interested in them either. Whatever questions she did ask often pertained to the ‘healer’ role of Kitabayashi in particular. Other questions were few and far between, and the only other notable one that came to mind was the life expectancy of demons – an enlightening conversation for her, as she discovered the existence of ‘Great Demons’ (the Demon Slayers hadn’t yet put a name on the immensely more powerful Great Demons compared to the weaker regular demons) and their distinct markings.  

The lifespans of regular demons were hard to estimate, as they often varied from type to type. Most of demons died before they reached ‘old age’ (which was a stage that lasted several years in a human’s life), and from what Master Katashi said, it only lasted around the last year of a demon’s life. It was a lot different than a human’s old age, or so Midoriko said, as while demons do get weaker in their last year most of them are more powerful than most (you had to be to even get to your last year), and so they’d still retain enough power to be physically stronger than most humans in their prime.  

The lifespan of a Great Demon was even vaguer. Master Katashi hadn’t come across anyone in his life that knew of a Great Demon that passed from a natural end of their lifespan: battle had been the only end to their long lives that Master Katashi heard of.  

Speaking of which, Master Katashi was probably getting old. Judging from the last time he spoke of his age, which had been a long time ago, and taking him at his word… Master Katashi would be around six hundred years old, give or take a decade or so. What an old man.  

“Feel free to start digging on your own, Midoriko. I’m not about to start lugging bodies and throwing them in holes.” I stepped out from the only shade that I’d find outside for a while, promising my overheated body I’d escape indoors soon, “I’m going to check the bodies for anything useful before seeing if they had any food prepared before…” I gestured to the corpses, “…this all happened.”  

Midoriko was fuming, “You’d desecrate their bodies so easily?! They should be left untouched, and so should their belongings!” She waved her hands towards the dead bodies, “This… all of this, you’re unfazed by it? Do you feel no grief for them at all? All of the villagers were slain! Men, women, the elderly! CHILDREN! There are dead CHILDREN lying on the ground, Nozomi! I hope we catch the monsters that did this, if only to avenge the death of all these innocents!” Her voice quivered as her eyes watered as I gave no response to her anger, “Fine.”  

She sniffed, brushing past me and gingerly making her way over the bodies that lined the dirt streets.  

“I just hope you feel even the slightest sliver of sorrow over these lost lives when we slay whatever demons did this!”  

“…Okay, then. You do whatever you need to do to these carcasses to make yourself feel better.” I snapped the folding fan shut as I spat out the words under my breath, making sure that Midoriko didn’t hear them as she disappeared around the corner of the shop.  

With the lack of fan-generated wind, the stench of death seemed to only worsen as the scent stagnated. At least the wind the fan created wasn’t really that cool – it was impossible to escape the clinging heat, even for the air itself. I crouched down in front of the body of a villager, pressing the folded fan against the still-warm flesh of a man’s shoulder until he limply rolled onto his back. Deep gashes covered the man’s front, and as whatever made them also tore apart the kimono he was wearing, I could clearly see a thick red coat concealed the man’s skin from his stomach up to the start of his neck. Judging by this, he had been cut down and then his skin was dyed in his own pool of blood.  

From closer examination, the gashes weren’t from the claws of demons – the lines were far too clean for that, and there was far too much of him still intact. So, the only other thing that could’ve caused the deaths of these villagers were weapons. Weapons could be used by both humans and demons, so the fact didn’t do much to narrow the field of potential murderers. I took a deep, begrudging, breath and wrinkled my nose at the scent of human blood, but also noted that there was no demon scent lingering underneath it. While not as efficient at deciphering scents as other demons, at this proximity, I should have no problems sniffing out scents underlying the blood… If humans had done this, it would be the first time that I would see Midoriko deal with wrongdoers of her own species.  

I glanced in the direction Midoriko had disappeared, wondering if this thought had crossed her mind yet and if those ‘monsters’ that did this included humans in her mind.  

Now that I figured out the likely guilty party, I decided to investigate the motives behind the slaughter as well – Midoriko might not be willing to believe me otherwise. Entertainment, while Midoriko refused to believe it was an actual reason for murder, was a possibility. Could be bandits, or a blood feud between two villages… Could even be possessed humans! Humans always made murder more complicated than what it needed to be, with all their secretive reasonings and whatnot: the list of what it could be was endless. So, I had to start with figuring out what it couldn’t be.  

With a sigh, I searched the body of the man for any sort of valuables, and finding none, I moved onto the next body on the street. The process continued the entire length of the road – at least five bodies that had no valuable possessions on them. While Midoriko told me not every human carries a weapon of some sort, surely at least a few might’ve carried a sword or something…  

I sighed once more, opening my fan and idly circulating air again as I stepped inside a nearby building at the end of the street, ignoring the other bodies that covered every dirt path that the small village had. The inside of the house had been visibly ransacked, the furniture upturned, the rice paper walls ripped and… the pantry was empty, save for a bundle of rice that had split apart and scattered the grains across the floor.  

Someone had obviously rummaged through the house, and quickly grabbed all the food they could.  

With my interest in playing detective already waning in the heat as it failed to entertain me enough to push the thought of the burning sun out of my mind, I decided that I had finished investigating. I certainly wasn’t about to go through all the houses and search all the bodies for the sake of finding out the reason the village had been effectively wiped out. So far, it looked like human bandits had ransacked the village and just forgot to burn it down after they came through. 

If Midoriko wanted a better reason, she could look through each and every house at her own leisure as she collected the bodies of the dead. 

So, instead of spending more time on what probably wouldn’t result in a different answer, I stepped back into the sunlight and headed towards the nearby forest. It would probably just be best to let Midoriko spend some time alone, and the shadows of the trees beckoned me closer. I would take my time looking for some prey to cook for supper, and let Midoriko have the afternoon to cool off.  

With that in mind, I left the village behind, hearing the echoes of a tool digging into the earth as I entered the shaded woods.  

* * *

The sound of running water hastened my steps over the tangled roots of the forest floor. The canopy of leaves above shaded me from the sun’s rays, but the thought of ridding my skin of the heat that clung to it ushered me into an inhuman pace when the sound grew closer. Sunlight filtered through the trees as the forest thinned to reveal a wide river that wound its way through the woods.  

I came to a slow stop, eyes searching for anything that could pose a threat that could be lurking behind the tree trunks, just out of sight. My body stilled, and I listened intently for the snapping of twigs or the rustling of clothing. After a few long moments of silence, I placed my half-empty quiver and Katashi’s bow on the riverbank. Untying my haramaki, I gently slid the fabric down my figure until it pooled at my feet. Folding the haramaki neatly and placing it next to Katashi’s bow, I also slipped off my sandals and lined them up in beneath the arched roots of a tree which slanted against the steep decline into the stream. With happy, but cautious steps, I waded into the water.  

While the water was warmer than I would’ve hoped, I still shivered pleasantly when the fabric of my kimono clung to my thighs as I relished in the fact that my body temperature was slowly decreasing into a comfortable range. Within a few leisurely steps, the riverbed dipped steeply, and I folded my body into a crouch to submerge my shoulders and neck. Shivers wracked my body as I slowly searched for an even deeper part of the river. Unfortunately, while it was a very wide river (wide enough for the long reaching limbs of the trees to not completely block out the sun over the water) it wasn’t all too deep: at the deepest point, the water only pooled around my waist.  

With a relaxed sigh, I stretched out on my back, keeping myself afloat while leisurely paddling against the current so I didn’t get pushed downstream. My kimono quickly absorbed the water that flowed by, slightly weighing me down, clinging to my every curve as I rotated my arms to not only prevent me from floating downstream but also prevent my head from dipping beneath the calm-looking surface of the river. After a moment, the sound of my arms pushing against the running water as the appendages left my side and the slow but firm force behind the open palms that came back to my thighs was the only thing I could hear. With a new cycle of time established as my body ebbed and flowed with the river, I slipped my eyes closed and ducked my head underwater. 

The suffocating heat left my skin as I hovered just below the surface of the water, relieving the stress and irritation that had been building up since the start of summer. 

Summer had always irritated me, a snow-demoness, to a certain extent. But leaving the mostly cooler summer temperatures* of the northern Kitabayashi village (which was on a decently sized hill and shaded by the forest that surrounded the settlement) behind for the warmer summers south of the village had made a bigger impact than I previously thought. The fact that this summer was a particularly hot one (according to Midoriko) didn’t ease my transition. 

Thinking back on the argument with Midoriko, it was probably one of the reasons I didn’t comply to her wishes to bury the dead: in late spring and throughout summer I had to do everything I could to conserve my energy. The hotter it got, the more energy my body consumed automatically to keep my temperature from going dangerously high. Any action that hadn’t revolved around slaying demons had been shirked until nighttime or done in an area with plenty of shade. Anything else that couldn't wait that long was avoided completely. 

Now that my body had cooled considerably, it was easy to see where my discomfort had warranted a less than lenient response with these new human rituals involving burying a body. 

But, it was also easy to see where Midoriko had been far too distraught at my lack of understanding. 

The questions Midoriko had tentatively asked slowly trickled to a halt after the start of spring: the mutual interest during winter disappeared seemingly over the thawing days. What had started to look like the beginning of a friendship faded into a relationship between associates almost overnight. The sudden shift had stung, but I was content to cover frustration with a lighthearted atmosphere that made the new rift seem smaller. 

That rift had grown large underneath the surface and now brought forth all the concerns that had been plaguing my mind since spring. 

Was Midoriko not able to see where I was coming from? Did she even consider that I might not agree with the customs she grew up by? Did she even care?  _Would_  she care? Could she see that I had been compromising and experimenting to understand her human view in effort to protect an unlikely friendship that, most likely, never even existed? Had I been sending her a hesitant signal? Had I been too forward in wanting to form a friendship with her? Had I been too quick to try human traditions? Had I done something wrong? Did she realize she didn’t want a demoness as a friend? Did she even  _want_  a friendship? 

The last question had always been in the back of my mind since she started pulling away from recognizing the differences between us. She had never truly claimed to be looking for a friendship, and neither had I. But we had gotten close enough that I had thought we sparked what should’ve resembled something like the start of one. Of course, I was perfectly fine with having a more ‘business’ type of relationship with Midoriko – as long as she could satisfy my curiosity any kind of interaction was fine – but the sort of murky relationship we had currently was far too ill-defined to actually be of any practical use.  

Perhaps the line between demon and human cultures was too defined for us to become anything more than unlikely demon slaying partners... and perhaps she had realized that. 

My head broke the surface of the water, and I took in big gulps of air as I placed my feet back on the slippery riverbed. Standing up, the water drained from my body, rejoining the running water as it flowed through the forest on its journey to lower lands on its search of the sea. It was cooler now: the wind had lost much of its heat as it contacted my soaked skin. 

I waded through the water slowly, not wanting to leave the river just yet but as I noticed the sun steadily declining in its arc through the sky, I decided to press onwards. As the water lapped against my ankles, I paused briefly to let more water drain from my figure before I bent down to line up my sandals on the bank. Stepping out of the water, I slipped one foot after another back into my sandals without allowing them to touch the forest floor and potentially pick up a twig or rock that might uncomfortably cling to the fabric of my socks. As both sandal straps found their place between my toes without mishap, I sent a flash of energy through my body to quickly dry my sodden clothes* so that the fabric wouldn't have the chance to become a warm and moist mess clinging to my figure.  

Pulling the black pleated fabric of my hakama over my blue-tinted kimono once again and tying it firmly just above the start of my obi, I then attached the quiver to hang by my side. After picking up Katashi’s bow, I made my way back through the forest. Grasping the feathered end of a wooden arrow, I propped the sharpened point against the curve of the bow while repositioning my fingers around the bowstring. Pulling the arrow back slowly, I felt the bow flex easily underneath my guiding hand. With my weapon now at the ready, I walked silently over the twisting roots and leafy greens, attentively waiting for something to catch my eye. 

After one quiet step followed another, the arrow flew loose from Katashi’s bow. The sound of a crying bird fell abruptly silent, and I swiftly bent the bowstring behind another feathered arrow. As the body of the bird  _thudded_  into the shrubs, the life that was hidden from sight scurried to leave the once quiet area. With another arrow released from Katashi’s bow, the point plunged into the hind of a rabbit that turned abruptly and luckily avoided the arrow from piercing its heart. 

The rabbit hobbled away, its movement impaired by my arrow, and disappeared into the shrubbery. With a slight scowl appearing on my face, I collected the fallen bird, plucking some feathers loose as I removed the arrow from its heart and followed the scent of the rabbit’s blood through the shrubs it disappeared into. Nocking a fresh arrow to the bow, I tracked the slowing animal as it continued its fleeing path towards the thinning trees at the edge of the forest. The rabbit was losing a lot of blood from its frantic movements, creating an easy scent to follow, and before long I found my prey desperately trying to scamper over large tree roots but not having the energy to reach over the twisting tendrils. 

My arrow found its target easily this time, and put the hunt to an end. 

Removing the two arrows from the rabbit’s hide, I noticed an unfocused brown gaze staring up at me from the other side of the roots that my arrow had pinned the rabbit to. With both the rabbit and bird in hand, I cautiously stepped over the root in order to get a closer look at the deceased human girl. 

Her body rested perpendicular to the root her head was turned to look over, one of her eyes were covered by her tangled hair that had leaves and twigs knotted in the brown strands. Slight freckles dotted her face, and like the other villagers in the village just outside of the forest, clean cuts had been made through the once light-yellow fabric of the back of her kimono. The fabric was soaked in blood, and from the looks of the trail of dried blood that painted the forest floor, she had been cut down a while back and crawled her way to her current position. 

The young girl had probably run into the forest when the village was attacked, but wasn’t fast enough to escape the bandits that chased her. 

The pallbearers of the Netherworld had already collected the girl’s spirit, and upon further inspection, the carcass had been soulless for a while. As I lingered near the body, hesitating to leave it as the argument with Midoriko resurfaced in my mind, I wondered if I had shot down the idea of human burial too quickly. 

I, just like Master Katashi as well as the other Kitabayashi demons, believed that the souls of beings departed for the Netherworld quickly after death, collected and delivered by intangible pallbearers. Contrary to Midoriko’s belief, I did hold some inkling of empathy for those who had life still in them – all things had a right to struggle to survive in this world. But when that life left them, when their souls had been brought to the Netherworld, the corpses they left behind would be better suited to helping the struggle of another being instead. Burying and hiding away what could be useful for another’s survival seemed wasteful. 

Those that could no longer do anything, could at the very least help those that still lived. 

The human belief that the dead should be buried to put their ‘souls’ at rest – souls that had already departed for the Netherworld and no longer held any presence in the world they lived in… That seemed like it was only a ploy to help those that still carried souls to deal with the deaths of their kin and loved ones. To prevent nature from thriving off the passing of another… 

To me, it seemed like a selfish ritual. 

I took a few steps away from the body, every fibre of my being telling me to leave it there to provide sustenance for the weaker creatures that could benefit from the child’s death. Nothing could be done: the child was dead, the weak were hungry, and the body would return to the earth – burial or not. Before I could get far from the body, I turned back towards the brown-haired girl, looking over her small form briefly as I thought about the human that once controlled it. The human that once brought life to that now lifeless body…  

Then, I thought of the look of disgust that had crossed Midoriko’s face when I suggested leaving the bodies of the villagers out in the open. 

With a sigh, I picked up the limp body of the dead child, and made my way back to the village. 

* * *

The sky flared to life with an array of red and orange hues as the sun began setting on the village. I stood in the hole that I had taken my time with digging, sizing up the mound of dirt that I expelled from the earth and the brown-haired girl that was lined up next to the previously undisturbed soil. I clutched the wooden shovel I leaned on for support as I considered whether I should dig a little more before attempting to move the carcass into the hole. 

It had taken a while to dig the hole, as I took frequent breaks to avoid the heat of the sun before the brief swim in the river could beckon me away from the burial and back into the cool water. But with the setting sun, I found my actions not to be based on preserving energy, but rather, to end the pointless task I had started solely out of a desire to understand my human companion better. 

I hadn’t seen Midoriko since I returned: I placed the bird and rabbit inside the house next to the shop she had found her shovel in. After I found another tool to use for my own uses, I made it a point to not seek her out. Not until the girl had been buried by my hand and I could properly reject this aspect of human death for its complete lack of soothing the spirit that ‘lingered’ in this world. And to also reject the fact that she expected me to agree with her human customs so effortlessly. 

Which was why the girl had the terrible luck of being buried just outside of the village: just out of sight. Away from her kin and neighbours and any others that had lived in the village alongside her. 

But, at least she was lucky enough to be getting a burial at all. Her 'spirit' should be pleased. 

Shrugging, I decided that the hole was big enough and threw the shovel by the mound of dirt while I grabbed the girl by her shoulders and gently tried to lower her into the ground. Her feet slipped down the artificial slope, nearly discarding her lone sandal from her foot, before her back found the bottom of the hole. Pulling her a little further, trying to get the carcass positioned in the middle of the hole, I then released my grip on the cold body. 

I reached for the shovel again, halfway out of the ground already, before I turned around and looked down at the body. Her kimono was dishevelled, her hair was the same as it was when I had found her – tangled, and her unseeing eyes still gazed up at me. 

After another moment of hesitation, I slipped back into the hole beside her. 

Kneeling beside her body, I refastened her kimono and straightened out the wrinkles in the light-yellow fabric. I then ran my fingers through the brown strands of hair that reached half-way down her back, removing any twigs or leaves that I came across until the tangled mess became smooth and my fingers went unhindered as they slipped through the strands. Tucking her hair neatly behind her head, although some strands were too short and simply fell against her neck and shoulders, I then moved onto how to deal with her eyes. 

Leaving the eyes open felt like a worse idea than closing them. After all, I was about to shovel the dirt I had wasted my energy on digging up back onto her body… As Midoriko sounded her opinion on ‘desecrating’ the dead, I figured that leaving the eyes open for dirt to fall on them probably wouldn’t adhere to how humans wanted to send off the dead. But at this point, I was trying to string together whatever scraps of information I could without having to ask Midoriko for help. Right now, that was something I couldn’t do if I wanted her to take this time to think about where  _my_  beliefs could be coming from, just as I was taking the time to try and understand where her beliefs came from. If I made it apparent that I was open to such human rituals not only would the need for her to think about the demon perspective on death disappear, but she would probably also rope me into burying all the other dead humans we came across – something I certainly did  _not_  want to do. 

So, closing the eyes were my best bet.  

I ignored the doubt in that statement and how my mind automatically thought of reasons why humans would leave the eyes open as they buried them in favour of not giving into my growing desire to gouge the girl’s eyes out in order to stop worrying about which was better. 

Gouging out a human’s eyes in order to bury them was definitely  _not_  better than closing the eyelids or leaving the eyes open. 

_Probably._  

With another muted shrug, I decided to close the eyelids of the girl and move onto the actual burial. As I suspected when I first started digging the hole: filling it back up was a lot easier. Before the sun could creep much closer to the horizon, the grave was filled and I had yet another dilemma on my hands: what to do with the excess dirt. 

The girl, now buried underneath the earth, took up the space of the remaining dirt that had been dug up. Was the dirt stacked on top of the grave? Was it taken elsewhere to be used for something else? Did it really matter where the soil went if I still believed this whole ritual was pointless? 

“Well, the cub’s STILL dead, and now I’M exhausted…” Mumbling to myself as I ran my fingers through my bangs, coming up with a decision after a few minutes of contemplation, “Ah well, that’s good enough. I hope your 'spirit' is happy in the Netherworld knowing the amount of trouble your dead body put me through.” Smoothing out the pile of dirt, I then stuck the shovel into the ground, marking the place of the girl – at least until someone else needed a shovel. 

With one final look at the girl’s resting place, I slunk back into the village and returned to the prey that still needed to be prepared for supper. 

I had returned later than I thought I would, and while I wasn’t sure if the bird and rabbit would be counted as a late-lunch or early-supper, it didn’t matter much to me. If Midoriko had gotten hungry before I returned, she was quite capable of taking care of her needs by herself. After all, meals for humans were much more important than meals were for demons. 

During our time travelling together it quickly came to my attention that Midoriko needed a lot of food each day (and by extension, all humans), whereas demons didn’t really rely on sustenance that much. Demons had a much longer period they could go without food – even once a month or so would be more than enough to last us (or at least, snow-demoness and white-tiger demon diets). While I was now used to sharing in Midoriko’s frequent meals, slipping back into my previous lifestyle wouldn’t be all too hard: the only reason I had changed it at all was because Midoriko seemed to expect me to eat with her. 

Perhaps humans got lonely when eating alone? 

The sound of the door opening and closing swiftly drew my focus to the human woman rather than mulling over my thoughts, but I wasn’t going to acknowledge her presence first. I continued busying my hands and removing the feathers from the decently-sized bird (which I would probably use to craft more wooden arrows to last me through the summer) as I waited for her to break the silence. 

She didn’t, though. 

With heavy-footed steps that indicated she was still upset, she silently walked up towards the half-ransacked kitchen I was making use of and started cleaning the rabbit as I continued working on the bird. We worked silently for a while, and as I moved on from de-feathering to gutting the bird, I admitted that while this type of relationship could work (a partnership) I’d much rather have the friendship that had just started to blossom forth before wilting away abruptly. 

With that thought in mind, I decided to break the silence first, “How’s-?” 

“Fine.” Midoriko cut me off, slicing more fiercely than necessary into the rabbit as she accentuated her following words through clenched teeth, “Everything’s fine, Nozomi.” 

Well, that probably could’ve gone a little better. 

I nodded slowly at her terse words, rocking my head back and forth as a way to stall for time while trying to think of a polite way to bring up what was obviously still pissing her off, but as the seconds dragged on into minutes, I gave up trying to be polite – it was never my strongest area. 

“You’re still pissed off about earlier, aren’t you?” The pointed tone could probably have been withheld, if I hadn’t swept politeness off the table and said the first thing that came to mind. 

The sound of cutting through flesh stalled for a second before it quickened. While I thought that the conversation had ended there, after a few moments Midoriko threw her knife down onto the table and glowered at me as she raised her hands in anger. 

“ **You have no morals!** ” Her breath came in quick and fiery bursts as she angrily turned towards me, and I failed to stop the look of unexpected amusement as I removed my hands from cleaning the prey, only adding to her irritation. 

“No,” I folded my arms and turned my body towards hers as I leaned my hip against the counter, “I don’t share your  ** _human_**  morals.” I watched her face closely as I corrected her, and upon seeing a crinkle of surprise appear on her forehead, I questioned her, “...Did you truly expect me to?” 

“You…” She faltered as she processed my question, but her anger seemed to swell once more and she brushed the thought aside for the sake of yet another accusation, “You have absolutely no regard for human life!” 

“I made you aware of that when we first decided to join forces.  ** _You’re_** the one who has no regard for life-!” Midoriko opened her mouth to counter my words before I finished them, but I refused to let her talk over me,  **“-** Demon life!” 

She fell silent at that; her eyes grew wide as her mouth opened to refute me before the words died on her tongue and her lips closed wordlessly. 

It was clear to me that she had never given much thought towards demon life. Her brown eyes glistened with surprise, and her wordlessness only added to the fact that she had never considered the fact that the demons we killed even  _had_  a life worth living (to her beliefs, in any case). Sure, I didn’t really care for human lives either – live or die, it meant little to me.  

But at least I recognized that they at least had lives worth thinking about for even the slightest of seconds. 

Anger boiled deep within my being, my frustrations and worries over whether or not Midoriko would ever come to understand where I stood and what I believed and how I lived… it all felt answered in that moment as I looked into her eyes. 

Eyes that reflected the thought: ‘ _why should_ ** _I_** _care about the lives of demons?_ ’ 

Did she even recognise that I was a demon, one that was standing right before her eyes? 

Sure, I was more open-minded about humans than the other demons we hunted down were. And, to be honest, it didn’t matter to me whether or not Midoriko cared for the lives of demons. What I couldn’t tolerate was the way she considered me a human, and how because of her own selective view of my actions, if I failed to act in a way she thought was right this kind of floodgate would open. 

Even if I was the weakest demon scum there was, preying on humans and other weak and defenseless humans… Never in a million years would I ever  **want**  to be regarded as a human by her. 

How  ** _dare_**  she get angry with me with not understanding human culture when she’s never even attempted to understand demon culture? When she thinks that I’m a  **human**  simply because I’m not as lowly as the demons that we hunt down on a regular basis?! 

How  **DARE**  she wipe away my heritage like that! 

“I’m a demon, Midoriko! Not a human! How can you expect me to have the same values?!” The blank look on her face made it clear that she hadn’t considered me as a demon in a long time, and even as I grew angrier at this, I decided to let her know where I stood, “I don’t know what you think this is, Midoriko. And I don’t really care, either. I’m with  _you_  until whatever end. No matter what it comes to. I would've hoped that you would at least see me as what I  **am**  instead of what you  **want**  me to be...” 

I sighed heavily as I walked to the door, collecting Master Katashi’s bow that I had placed against the wall when I had re-entered the village, “But I think  **you**  need some time to think about exactly what you expect from me, and what you  _should_  expect from me. Maybe you should take the time to do so now, while you're digging your graves.” 

With one final look at her, I opened the door and cemented my resolve to leave the dead village. 

“I’ll wait in the forest. For... whatever you decide.” 

And then I left for home, alone. 

* * *

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

 

***Seasons:**  Unfortunately, I live in Canada and the story happens in Japan (as most anime do). So, while I am planning on incorporating as much of Japan’s natural seasonal changes (and the months they take place in – as well as the different school year) as possible, I will probably miss a lot of detail with my rudimentary research. 

This, of course, doesn’t mean I’m not open to any sort of insight or criticisms some of you could probably provide, but it is giving you a little disclaimer – I know practically nothing of Japanese culture/history other than the basic research I’ve done. So most of this fanfic (involving seasons and whatnot) will have a LOT of influence from my own experiences~ 

(and as we don’t exactly know where the Demon Slayer village is, or how far they would travel to get payments, my idea of how different the climate can be from ‘scene’ to ‘scene’ might be a little skewed). 

I’ll ask that you forgive any small transgressions! 

***Clothes:**  in this fanfic, a burst of demonic energy will rid clothes of any sort of grime, blood, water, etc. as well as repair the fabric. This only works if they are reasonably attached to the garment, and humans still have to repair and clean things manually. This is so that I can kind of explain the way that InuYasha’s clothes (as well as the clothes of Sesshomaru, Jaken, etc.) seem to come back perfectly and retains any abilities (like the fireproof fire rat robe) the fabric has after a battle where its been damaged. I could literally not think of a better way to make this seem more ‘real’, so there you go! 

* * *

 And so, with the free time I got by getting all four of my wisdom teeth removed, I have finished off another chapter whilst I recover! Yaaaaaaay me!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Nozo and Midoriko are already fraying?!

I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL FRIENDS HERE!

Is a betrayal coming?! If so, who will it come from?!

Kirara might make an appearance soon?!

Nozomi deals with a major weakness?!

Is Sesshomaru truly anticipated to enter around chapter 12...? (Honestly, who knows at this point?)

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	8. Good and Bad, Strong and Weak

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 8: Good and Bad, Strong and Weak

The scent of humans and burning wood caught my attention as I crept through the fringes of the small forest just outside of the dead village Midoriko was toiling over. A few days had passed since I told her to meet me back at her village’s forest, but I had long since calmed myself. As my mind cleared, I decided that letting Midoriko journey home alone was a fairly bad idea (as she seemed to attract and seek out danger with that ‘good’ nature of hers) and so the shaded areas beneath the forest’s canopy had sheltered me as I watched for her figure leaving the village.

But, I had never expected to sniff out the humans who had pillaged that very same village to show up just when I needed a little entertainment.

Peering out from the trees, I could see around twenty humans loudly talking around the large campfire they had constructed. From my place in the shadows as I crept as close as I could without alerting the more attentive humans to my position, I could see crude-looking armour and weapons that had seen much better days.

And a truly wicked idea came to mind as I marked them as easy human prey. One that would put even Kitabayashi to shame, but would hopefully keep me entertained until Midoriko finished her foolish work and headed home. I stealthily crept further back into the shadows, my breath clouding the air as I planted my energy into the ground and readied my Misdirection.

My fingers ran through my black strands, removing the red ribbons from my hair and allowing it to fall freely down my shoulders and back. After tying the fabric around my wrist with the help of my teeth, my hands occupied themselves with straightening my hair and hiding the pointed tips of my ears behind the fine black shroud. With this, I could pass as a human and show them _exactly_ what a real demon was capable of – and show them how their measly raid of the village was nowhere near as gruesome as a demon would have left it.

The dancing sway of bright orange flames illuminated the tree trunks in a golden hue as I approached the group yet again. Struggling to conceal the sharp smile my lips twitched themselves into, I took a moment to collect myself. An act, to put them off-balance and create some enjoyment from killing humans (who were often so weak that the idea of killing them was laughable), and then a… show… to lengthen that entertainment.

Serving as retribution for those dead bodies in that village was simply a coincidence – one that I would never mention to Midoriko, but if these ‘spirits’ were still floating around (which they weren’t), I’ll consider them put to rest (a path far easier than burying all of their bodies).

With that, I managed to wipe the smile from my face and set Katashi’s bow and quiver in the hollow trunk of a nearby tree, and took another deep breath as my energy now covered the ground the bandits stood on. As my face mimicked that of the terrified – yet relieved – faces of the humans that we had come across in our travels. Trying my best to play my part whilst attempting to keep my amusement from creeping back into my features, I ran down the slope (stumbling a little for added effect) and towards the bandits, _“Help! Please help me!”_

My pleas caught their attention and they clumsily scrambled to grab their weapons, squinting into the darkened forest, before they fully picked out my figure as I stepped into the illuminated ring their fire provided them. The change was immediate once they saw the dreadfully hopeful look I portrayed on my face. Their bodies loosened from their alert stances, and their rapidly collected weapons were just as quickly discarded or slung over shoulders smugly.

While my hackles raised at the thought of being underestimated by _humans,_ I stilled myself in dedication to my ploy. Misdirection, through my energy or my appearance, was a useful skill. Besides, at the end of this, they’ll recognize their mistake.

Too bad it’s a fatal one.

“Well, girlie,” The leader leered at my body as I pretended to pant to implant the idea that I had come all the way from the village, “whattaya doin’ out so late? You lost? Me an’ the boys’d be happy to help a pretty little thing like you… Ain’t that right, boys?”

They laughed, gathering around the leader that towered above all of them as a wall of muscle and scars, “I’d reckon so, boss!”

Nearly all the men had a scar somewhere visible, and while they probably thought that it made them seem fiercer, it only proved to me that they frequently got into battles they couldn’t handle. A few of the men had fresher wounds, and judging by the boss’s equipment outshining the rest, they’d probably given (or he claimed) all the higher-quality spoils the villagers had to offer (which were still terrible, it seems) while the rest of the bandits fought over his unwanted scraps. All in all: a pathetic pack of humans. But I wouldn’t let that fact stop my fun, of course.

_“I-I just came from the village, a-and-!”_ I gestured in the direction of the village before taking a few steps and curling my fingers in the fabric of the leader’s clothes, tilting my head to look up at him imploringly, _“T-they had to have been attacked by demons! They… they were all…”_ I trailed off, finishing my sentence with hiccupped breaths as I released the bandit from my clutches and buried my face in the sleeves of my kimono.

An arm found its way onto my shoulder, drawing my covered face into his chest as the leader pulled me closer. The sound of the crackling fire was drowned out by the shifting movement of the group as they encircled us – I felt the muscles of the human before me move slightly as a nod was given. I resisted the urge to skewer them all where they stood.

“Whatcha say, girlie? Demons?” The leader’s large hand squeezed the flesh it encompassed, and the shaking caused by his boisterous laughing transferred uncomfortably into my smaller frame, “’Ear that, boys? _Demons_ attacked the village!”

His laughing seemed to be infectious, as it spread to his underlings once more. Suppressing the twisted grin that would surely disrupt my guise, I removed my face from the light-blue fabric and looked around at the men with wide unbelieving eyes before shrugging the man’s hand from my shoulder as I took a hesitant step backwards.

_“W-why are you laughing? The demons could still be-”_ The men laughed harder at my supposed confusion, and after a while of wildly looking from one human to the next, I turned to the leader with a perfectly creased brow for some clarification.

“Ain’t no demons kill all those people in that village...” He shot me a toothy grin as he leaned his face down to mine, “Y’see, robbin’ the dead is a lot easier than robbin’ the living.”

Well, that certainly was a lot easier than I thought it would be – these bandits were just as foolish as they looked. And they were just _begging_ to be played with… but not quite yet. I could draw out the ‘innocent human’ a little longer to mess with them.

So even though one of the men behind me crept close enough for me to feel his body’s heat, foolishly leaning over so that his warm breath burned the back of my neck, my energy remained buried and unused in the ground beneath our feet.

_“W-what? Surely you aren’t saying that all those people… died by your hands?!”_ Once again, dark chuckles arose from the crowd that had gathered around, creating a ring around me that grew smaller and smaller as the ruse went on.

“That’s exactly what we’re saying, girlie. Do ya want to be one of ‘em,” He gestured towards the direction of the village, “or do you want to have a little fun with us instead?”

The smug smile of the bandit leader morphed into a confused smirk as my frightened demeaner straightened, my eyes flashing dangerously as my lips grew into a diminutive smile that held all sorts of warnings within.

“Oh, I think I’ll have fun with you all, instead. Try to make this at least somewhat entertaining, alright?” A dense fog filled the area, summer’s heat preventing me from calling a snowstorm without wasting more energy than these humans were worth. But, it disguises my presence just as well. Confused murmurs filled the clouded air, and as the leader immediately reached for his weapon, I disappeared into the fog – their senses now mine to warp.

The water bucket beside the campfire easily put out the flames that gave the humans _some_ sort of directions, and I threw the empty wooden container at the feet of the humans (who were currently walking in circles, unable to find the ‘innocent girl’, and one another in the dense fog as I led them to stray from each other one by one). The sound startled them enough to immediately swing at the harmless object with their weapons as I rounded up their provisions – making sure the paths of the wandering fools didn’t cross with my own – and settled near the edge of the forest where I had appeared from.

Eventually, after I grew bored of their incessant calls and their leader’s poor display of trying to organize his subordinates, I drew them all together and created an illusion of my figure in the fog in front of them. Smoothing out my hair, replacing the ribbons wrapped around my wrist into my hair once more as two buns trailed with my remaining length of hair opened my neck back up to the warm breeze of summer’s night, I watched as the bandits tried attacking every single illusion I created to replace the one they cut through.

“She’s playin’ with us! Huddle up and keep track of the man next to ya!”

Then, I watched as they all attacked one of their own as my illusion had taken the bandits place – the men failing to heed their leader’s command as panic set in at my antics – and a pained cry snapped the affected humans out of their blind attacking as one of their own fell to their own blades. A silence ensued, they all looked at one another. They were frightened, unsure what to believe, but all hesitant to attack my image again, for fear of doing the same thing that caused human blood to spill.

While things had gone according to plan, misdirecting humans without Misdirection was easy enough. Killing humans in general was far too easy to be entertaining. As I considered killing them all outright, a better idea came to mind before more blood spilled, and I created more illusions in the thick fog, so that my image surrounded them (the image that they had seen previously – with my hair down to conceal my ears and appear more human than I was).

“What do ya want from us, demon?”

As I spoke, I made sure that Misdirection made it impossible for those located within my Range to pinpoint where it was coming from, “Did you not hear me before, human? I want nothing but some entertainment. And you all were simply unfortunate.” My illusions grinned as I continued, “You have two choices in front of you – kill your fellow humans…” The men all looked warily at one another, “Or starve.”

“What? Are you crazy?!”

“We just have to find you-!”

“We have enough food to find her – the fog can’t be _that_ thick! We can find her before the sun comes up!”

“Yeah, that’s right! All we have to do is find her, and-!”

Their voices all sprang out at once, noisily making plans and such to escape with only shedding my blood. Some looked panicked, some looked like they were considering their fellow humans closely, and others ignored every word I said. Their leader, the burliest of them all, seemed like he was in the second group of humans.

As he spoke up, shattering the noise, I felt that it was truly unfortunate that the humans had rallied behind a man who does not care for their wellbeing, “And what happens when ya can’t kill anymore?”

“Boss?”

“What are you saying, boss?”

“C’mon, you’re not serious, are you?”

“The… The demon took our supplies... The foods gone!”

One of the humans called out and seemed to cause enough unrest that I didn’t have to insert any more. All the men now looked at one another suspiciously, all clutching their weapons closely as eyes darted from one another.

“Well, the last one alive will have proved his strength and find himself able to leave my fog…”

Those words seemed to be enough for the leader, and he turned on the closest human without another thought. With powerful swings of his sword, the leader took out his allies one after the other, cutting through the ranks and spilling more crimson blood across the ground. I recalled my illusions, perfectly content to allow the humans to destroy themselves now that they seemed quite determined to do so.

While the other bandits froze in place, their surprise ended quickly as their leader didn’t stop in his bloody path, and with cries of betrayal in the air, they also jumped into the carnage.

The leader, beset by his former allies, quickly went down with several gashes gushing onto the red-stained grass. With the instigator defeated, to my surprise, the remaining humans quickly turned on one another. The first to fall victim was the man hurriedly trying to strip the recently deceased of his armour, and then the one who had slain him fell. In this way, there was only one barely left alive by the time the sun appeared on the horizon. I returned to the tree that held my bow and quiver, retrieving them and adding them to my person as a small frown pulled at my lips.

It seemed like my source for entertainment didn’t last as long as I wanted, but there _were_ only twenty or so to go through. To be fair, watching them starve would’ve been the longer death. Perhaps that would’ve been more entertaining? I shook my head, ridding myself of thoughts about what could’ve been as I slowly dispelled my fog, approaching the figure that collapsed to his knees, covered in blood – both his own and that of those that lay motionless around him. This only proved to show how easily humans died – not to mention how fast they would turn on one another as soon as there was no escape except for betrayal.

…Midoriko had yet to display such qualities, though. Could she be trusted not to? Were these the indications of ‘rare’ humans that would simply turn on their own – just as these bandits ransacked the village? Were these outliers in mankind, or were people such as Midoriko the outliers? It wasn’t just a Demon Slayer trait – to be ‘good’ and considerate to other humans – as that human… Fujioka? Seemed to fall into the same category as the humans lying before me.

Now that I think of it, what exactly made a human ‘good’ to others? What made them ‘bad’? Why did such a distinction start? I shook myself out of the line of thought – to me, there were only ‘strong’ and ‘weak’.

Speaking of which, I addressed the human that was still alive.

“You did well, human.” His head sluggishly raised, the weight no longer being supported correctly by his neck with his exhaustion, “But unfortunately, I slay things that slay humans: a category you fall under, it seems.” Pulling an arrow from my quiver, I pulled the feathered end with the bowstring, aiming it in the middle of the bandit’s forehead as the wood easily bent at my command.

“W…hat? You said…”

He struggled with his words, and I cut off his attempts quickly with a cold reply, “I did exactly what I said – you no longer stand within my fog. However, you’ve proved your strength doesn’t amount to much, and so I take no pleasure in this.” Before the man could respond, my arrow sunk into his skull, and his body slumped over without as his muscles failed to function.

I scoffed at the bloodied bodies on the crimson field, “Humans are such _easy_ prey. Too bad you didn’t spend your time killing something much more entertaining: you might’ve lived a little longer.” Glancing back towards the village, my eyes tracking the path Midoriko would take to return home, I discerned no need to hide the bodies in the forest and so left them where they died without another thought.

Returning to the forest, I continued my shadowed watch for Midoriko’s figure leaving the village.

As the sun rose halfway into the blue sky, Midoriko left the village. Whether she felt my eyes on her at all on the uneventful journey back to the village, I wasn’t quite sure – even though I made sure to keep a great distance between us and stuck to the shadows (the latter was more for escaping the sun’s heat than remaining undiscovered).

The old shrine once more found itself host to my presence after seeing Midoriko to the gates of the watchful Demon Slayer Village, and as a week passed I still patiently waited for her word – diligently avoiding the other Demon Slayers who made their way to the shrine before leaving on their missions.

Whether we were still allies, whether we were now enemies… Whether we were something in between…

It was her choice now – and she could take all the time she wanted to figure that out.

But just as boredom once again settled into my being, her kin showed up.

* * *

“C’mon, c’mon! You’re not hurrying!” Brown eyes looked back at me as he made his way through the leaf-filled branches of the forest, “I told you that we needed to hurry!”

He stops suddenly, waiting for me as I watched him carefully – my slow pace purposeful as I tried to decipher the young cub’s intentions. No strange smells filled the warm air, only the sounds of calling birds and swaying leaves reached my ears… everything seemed normal. While I had met the cub again in the spring – as he seemed to wander into the forest quite often, despite his father’s rulings – and he had approached me hesitantly to spew out all sorts of questions. Most, I did not answer, but Midoriko’s kin filled the silence well enough on his own.

Still, it was strange to see him so eager to see me when we crossed paths in the forest by the shrine: the excitement unable to be hidden as he immediately wanted me to follow him deeper into the woods. Exclaiming, ‘I need your help with something, you need to come with me! Hurry, hurry!’. Curious, I followed. But it seemed it wasn’t quite fast enough for the impatient cub.

“Do not overstep your boundaries, cub.” As my pointed look was promptly ignored, I narrowed my eyes at the young human and continued, “Perhaps I would hurry if I knew what I was hurrying to?”

Stepping up to him, he turned his face away for a moment before meeting my gaze – a guilty look I’ve seen on his face many times whenever Midoriko finds him in the forest with me. Before I could question what he had done – lest he become a bad influence on me and drag me into all sorts of misadventures – the boy asked a question I didn’t expect.

“You’re a priestess, right?”

I raised an eyebrow, “…Excuse me?”

“I mean, Midoriko said that you could heal things. And because you head out with my sister, you slay demons… So you’re like a Demon Priestess, right?” His innocent eyes looked up at me, and he reached out and grabbed my sleeve tentatively before pulling me along.

The movement snapped me out of my surprise, “Don’t pull on my sleeve, cub.” He seemed to ignore me once again, and I was about to wrench the fabric from his grasp when he let go of it on his own. Instead, his small hands grabbed onto mine – enveloping them in the warmth that humans emanated from their bodies. It was uncomfortable, the warmth seeping into my skin and raising the temperature of my hand slowly.

It was uncomfortable… but I could grow to enjoy such a thing.

As I realised that, I didn’t remove my hand from his grasp – as weak and feeble as the child’s hand – and instead enacted my own grip on the boy’s hand. A grimace appeared on my face, hidden from the view of the child, as my mood darkened. Midoriko’s kin had wormed his way into a position of endearment. Yet another human who held some sort of sway over my heart and my actions…

What did that mean?

I pushed the thought away, content with trying to fool myself instead: I only cared for Hotaka because he was Midoriko’s kin. Nothing more, nothing less. Having the younger Yanagi speaking kindly of me would only help to further my friendship with Midoriko – and that’s exactly what I was doing right now. Ensuring that I had his support.

**_That’s all._ **

“…You are ignoring my question, Yanagi. Where are you leading me?” As he continued to obstinately ignore my words, my eyes narrowed, and I easily stopped his movement by pulling him back towards me, “If you do not give me a clear answer, cub, I _will_ tell Midoriko that you’ve been out here, _and_ that you’ve been up to something that requires my help.”

“No!” The loud sound of Hotaka’s immediate response startled the singing birds and scattered them from the trees around us, “You can’t tell her anything, okay? You can’t tell her!” He spun around, brown eyes gazing up at me as his hand joined the other in holding my hand, he tugged on it lightly. Looking at his wide imploring eyes, I crouched down to be at eye-level with the cub.

“Alright, then tell me what’s going on.”

“You have to promise, first! You have to _promise_ not to tell her!” He removed a hand and held out his pinky to me. I raised an eyebrow at the action but shrugged faintly and mirrored the human child. Hotaka wrapped his pinky around my own, and watched me, waiting.

Unsure of what he was looking for, he clarified after a moment, “You have to promise me now.”

“Ahh, I see.” So this was some sort of human ritual, one in which promises were cemented in place by this act? It was strange, as Kitabayashi demons did as they promised after stating their intentions aloud, but I suppose humans as a whole didn’t take statements as seriously as demons did, “Alright, but then you have to promise to tell me what’s going on.”

“Deal!”

After checking for any signs of deceit and only finding an earnest child looking back at me, “I promise to not tell Midoriko what you have gotten yourself into.”

“I promise to tell you what’s going on.” With that, the young boy pressed his small thumb to mine, “There! The promise is sealed, so you can’t break it!”

While I didn’t exactly believe the validity of that statement, putting in all that extra effort to make a promise probably had some sort of effect on humans. But, seeing as I never saw Midoriko use such a thing against me, it could just be a human cub game instead… Or Midoriko did not want to be ‘forced’ to uphold her promises…

I pushed the thought away, noting several instances in the past that she has done as she said and gave the boy a pointed look, which he understood almost immediately.

“…I found an injured demon, and I want you to help it.” He muttered the reply, sheepishly admitting what he wanted and seemingly expecting some sort of angry outburst.

Surprise trailed across my features, “Oh? What type of demon did you find, Yanagi? I suspect it isn’t any sort truly dangerous demon, or you wouldn’t be here.”

‘Here’, meaning in the woods bringing me to this demon, or ‘here’, meaning still alive. Both worked, and I meant both. But it seemed that the young human in front of me only understood the former meaning.

“It’s just a little creature, it looks like a cat with two tails, and it was crying out pretty badly – it can’t move! It got injured somehow, and I’m worried about it – I don’t want it to die!” I let out a chuckle at his statement, causing the concerned look on the boy’s face to fall into a confused one.

“Trusting a demon, no matter how harmless they seem, is a bad idea, Yanagi.” I stood up, leaving Hotaka to think over my words as I did the same.

What the boy seemed to be describing was a *nekomata – a demon creature that looked as harmless as they come but were just as capable of killing off humans once they changed into their true form. The fact that Midoriko’s kin was still standing before me is likely only because of luck – the demon was probably too injured to attack the child.

“But, you’re a good demon, Nozomi!” He turned, tugging on my hand and continuing to lead me around the tree trunks and over the sprawling root systems that tripped him up a few times on our way here. The birds had returned, Hotaka’s outburst forgotten as they sang above us once more.

A coy smile spread itself across my face, curious about the judgements a human child of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, “Oh? And what makes me ‘good’?”

“You bring my sister home safely.” After a moment, “I don’t have to go to the well anymore.”

I fell silent at that, the smile dropping from my face quickly. How simple a human cub’s mind is. In the spring, Hotaka had mentioned that carving a name into the well’s posts would protect those in their family on their missions. Something about the well granting them protection when the person the name belonged to was either too young or too old to do so themselves. A foolish human sentiment, but one that seemed to carry great weight in the child’s weighting of my ‘goodness’.

My eyes caught the sight of my hand wrapped around his, and for a moment I saw an image of my fingers wrapped around the arrow that killed the human bandit. I saw my hand pulling back yet another arrow to fire at the demons Midoriko and I were tasked with slaying. I saw my hand release an arrow at my own – at the Kitabayashi demons.

They had all fallen at my hands, not because of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, but because of strength and weakness.

So what good was distinctions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ when their rulings changed based on whose judgement attributed those characteristics? The bandits would think I was ‘bad’, the demons would think I was ‘bad’, the Demon Slayers still thought I was ‘bad’…

That this child thought I was ‘good’ meant nothing.

“That is not the work of a ‘good’ person, Yanagi. It is the work of a strong one.”

“…I guess. But, you use your strength to protect people, right?” He glanced back at me, “That makes you good!”

Foolish humans and their unwavering beliefs in overarching connections for everything.

“Look, we’re here!” He stopped suddenly, pointing to an opening in the small upward slant of the grassy terrain, “It’s in there, that’s where I saw it!”

It seemed to be a den of some sort, potentially that of the nekomata. While it was incredibly dangerous to approach the den of a creature, I couldn’t deny that I was a little curious to see why it didn’t attack Hotaka. Seeing a nekomata in person was also interesting enough to run some risks…

Sensing Hotaka releasing my hand and starting to run for the den, my fingers clamped down on his wrist before he could get any closer, “And where do you think you’re going?”

He looked confused, “I’m going with you-”

“I think not, Yanagi.”

“What? Why-!?”

“I’ll not have some cub with me when I heal this demon. Especially not a _human_ cub.” I bent down, staring the child in the eye, “Go home, Yanagi. I will take care of this demon.”

“But I want to-!”

“You want to do what? Help? You can do so by listening to me. You want a household creature? A demonic creature will not want to follow a cub around. You want to look after it until it heals? Unnecessary with my skills.” His body only tensed at my words as he glared defiantly at me, drawing out a frustrated sigh from my lips, “Since you aren’t thinking of this creature as a demon I’ll put it this way – this is a feral creature who cares not for you or anyone else that encroaches on its territory.” My blue eyes careened into his rebellious brown ones as I gritted my teeth, “Go. Home. Know that I will ensure this creatures safety. Never return to this area in your secret excursions: this is the den of a demon and you are far too young to deal with such things.”

“But-!”

“Do not believe me unable to alert the Demon Slayers to the nekomata’s presence nearby their village, Yanagi. If I believe you’ll return, I _will_ tell Midoriko and she _will_ gather the slayers to take care of the demon – as they’ve been trained to do.”

“You promised-!”

“I promised I wouldn’t tell Midoriko of your knowledge of this demon. Keeping _my_ knowledge of this demon from her is something I didn’t.”

He frowned, effectively silenced by my threat. His accusatory eyes scanned my face, anger burning deep within them, but they failed to sway me. The last thing I needed right now was Midoriko’s kin getting himself injured on my watch. As he saw that I wouldn’t sway on this issue, he brushed past me, purposefully making sure his shoulder shoved my arm to the side as he made his way back through the woods.

I scoffed, watching his figure fade from view. He struck out at the leaves and branches after picking up some sort of stick – the sound reaching me as I waited until I could hear his angry path no longer. When the calls of birds returned to the area, I made my way towards the den, breath clouding the air as I implanted my energy into the ground as a precautionary measure.

With my senses focused solely on the small split in the earth, leading downward into what seemed like a small hollow that was just large enough for me to crouch into, I heard the light breathing of a creature as I approached. It didn’t seem to be moving around much, as the sound of soft paw-steps failed to reach my pointed ears, and I slowly crept into the nekomata den.

The sweat that had found its place on my skin cooled with the breath of air rising from the damp cavern, and as soon as my shadow darkened the entrance a low growling sounded from within. Instantly, my body stilled as my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkened interior. The growling continued as I slowly moved inside, seeing that the nekomata was incapacitated and looked like it could barely lift its head. My back kept to the curved earthen rounds and cleared the exit as soon as possible, treating the demon cat as a cornered animal and giving it an escape.

The low grow continued as the wounded creature weakly tried to scamper away, but with each attempt to turn towards me, its limbs gave way and failed to enact its wishes. Deep gashes stretched the twin-tailed cat’s flank, and one of the back legs seemed to be a little tender, as the cat kept its weight off of it as it tried to move around. With all of its struggling, it only managed to tilt its head towards me, red eyes glaring at me as I continued to stay still.

The nekomata had probably gotten into quite the fight, especially if it sustained too much damage to heal itself – as it had been in this poor shape long enough for a human child to find it and lead me to it. Though most of its tan-coloured fur was matted red, I could see that the ears and paws were darker, with darker lines on its two tails and there was a curious diamond-shape marking on its forehead.

All and all, it was an adorable – and fluffy – creature. The snarling only made it more so, in my opinion – shows a lot of spirit to try and fight when you have nothing more to give. But, as my intent was to help the demon I could only hope it would allow my approach – while I was willing to heal the wounded fluffball, as I had nothing better to do as I waited for Midoriko’s decision, I certainly wasn’t willing to waste the whole day. Luckily, the demon cat would probably pass out before that could happen, and I could weave my energy into its tiny body and help the healing process along.

“There, there. I’m not going to harm you, nekomata. If you’d allow me, I can help you.”

With my intentions made clear, I made myself comfortable. The cool earth pressed up against my back was much better than the heat bearing down outside the small den, and perhaps when the demon cat left it, I would use it to escape the searing midday heat.

The low growling continued for quite some time as I waited, but after an hour the cat seemed too exhausted to continue. I waited, my body only moving with my slow breaths. After another half-hour passed, I slowly moved closer, carrying my body carefully as I positioned myself to sit next to the demon. Its growling once again filled the cavern, and its tails furiously whipped back and forth as it no longer tried to move. I remained still.

Within the next half-hour, I allowed my fingertips to near the demon as I offered my scent to the cat’s sensitive nose. While it’s sharp canines had sunk into my flesh, I refused to pull my hand back as its eyes challenged me, and soon, its jaw slackened and released my bleeding finger. It’s growling ended, and while its tails still whipped around furiously, it hardly flinched when my hands made contact with the demon’s soft fur.

I smoothed what I could of the tangled pelt, twisting the hairs around gently in the knotted areas that were a safe distance away from the nekomata’s wounds. After untangling much of the fur, the cat slowly relaxed and its bristling tail slimmed down as the hairs no longer stood on end.

“Now, I’m going to help you heal, alright? Just relax… It might feel strange, but I’m not hurting you.” I kept my voice low, nothing more but a murmur in the hopes that the nekomata would understand.

As its eye caught mine before falling closed, I believed it did.

With that, I gently placed my hands on the cat’s frame, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes as I dismantled my energy to match that I felt coming from the small demon. As I drew my energy out of my own body and guided it to entwine with that of my patient, I could feel the nekomata tense at the strange sensation. Murmuring reassurances under my breath, I felt it slowly settle as I magnified the demon’s innate healing abilities and focused it on one wound at a time.

Little by little, the wounds closed themselves up with my energy focusing the regenerative demon qualities. Under my guidance, the would-be scars (at least for a while, anyway) fade and short hairs covered the bare skin before I moved onto the next gash. As strength returned to the little demon, it remained still and allowed me to continue my work.

The little nekomata was nearly completely healed by my hand before a voice sounded at the entrance to the den.

“Woah… You really _are_ a Demon Priestess!”

My body jolted, not expecting the disturbance, but I kept my hands pressed into the demon cat’s flank and started to withdraw my energy as quickly – and as safely – as possible, “Yanagi, I _told_ you to-!”

Heat licked my palms as the small form of the nekomata flared up, burning the skin of my hands and trailing up my arms as I continued to try and draw back my energy through the intense pain. My muscles shook, bearing the flames with admirable strength, as the large growling form of the demon emerged from the flames.

The demon cat took up nearly the height of the cavern, and I estimated that its shoulders would reach my waist or higher. Its paws and tail burned with fire, but didn’t seem to harm the demon, and two long and sharp teeth stuck out of the sides of its mouth. Its red eyes glared at the young boy, and as it took a step towards his shaking figure, he immediately disappeared from view. With a bounding stride and a loud growl, the nekomata bounded after him.

Falling to my knees as the furred beast brushed past me, the last of my energy safely withdrawn from the demon, I pulled my hands close to my body as I hunched over them. They trembled lightly, and with my breath coming out in deep gasps, I sensed that withstanding the weak flames had taken much out of my body – my healing powers unable to soothe the burns.

Fire… Was quite dangerous for a snow demoness, after all. It had long-lasting effects as it burned through not only my being, but most of the energy in contact with the flames. Healing from such a wound takes a lot of time and energy to repair – as they don’t heal on their own. Having to draw my energy back to the areas that the fire had burned away was the additional downside to my already unfortunate weakness.

My fingers curled up into tight fists, wafts of steam drifting near the burnt patches of skin as the warmth emanating from the burns met with the cool temperatures of the undamaged skin surrounding it. The sleeves of my kimono brushed against the burns and incited a fresh wave of pain as my body shivered without my consent – somehow both cold and hot. Lifting my hands up so that my sleeves fell down and away from my sensitive skin, I felt my mind release itself from focusing on the pain. Taking a few deep breaths, I followed the nekomata.

As light revealed the horrid red blotches that now covered my pale skin, the waning heat of the day still served to make the marks burn more. Katashi’s bow would remain useless on my back, along with my quiver – my fingers were far too sensitive, and the fact that I couldn’t shake the trembling of my hands would impair my aim as well…

The snarl of a demon caught my attention, and as I exited the den I saw Hotaka scurrying away from the nekomata as it stalked him around the root-covered forest floor. Hotaka seemed to have made a loop, crawling back towards the den as the nekomata approached from deeper within the wooded area. With quick footsteps, I placed myself in between predator and prey as my heavy breaths clouded the now swelteringly warm air.

“Nozomi!” His frightened voice held relief in it, and I gave him a sharp look over my shoulder as I squared off against the demon cat.

Said demon seemed to falter in its stride as it saw me step between itself and the human child and tilted its head curiously at me. Intrigued, and hoping to avoid battle so I wouldn’t have wasted my time healing the demon, I opted for convincing it otherwise.

“This human is under _my_ care, demon. Should you harm him, you will have me for an enemy.”

The red eyes looked from me to the human child behind me. Returning its gaze to me, flames burst from its figure once more as its form shrunk to the smaller size that matched a non-demonic cat. With the consuming thoughts of water running over my burns, and seeing as I no longer felt the demon cat was a threat, I left Hotaka behind in order to make my way to the small pond hidden within the forest.

“Nozomi?”

I ignored the child, walking into the more shaded regions of the woods as I stumbled my way to something that would soothe the pain flashing through my body. I only managed to make it a few feet towards my destination before my body dropped from exhaustion. Unable to stave off my body’s immediate need for rest, my eyelids fluttered closed as I felt my skin press against the uneven ground and pull at the taught and reddened skin.

Before my senses could fail me, something furry nuzzled into my side.

 

* * *

  ***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

***Nekomata:** A type of yokai (or demon) from Japanese mythology. It’s a cat-looking creature that has two tails instead of one and thought to be evil. Considered to be a lesser form of the Bakeneko (monster-cat). Descriptions say that they lived in the mountains and ate people. 

* * *

 Been a while, but I've been busy! Also started up a D&D Session, so that's taking up a lot of creative writing time... But it's a whole lot of fun!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Ooohhhh... Fire is bad for an Snow Demon? Go figure...

NOZO SEEMS TO BE TAKING A LIKE TO HOTAKA

Is a betrayal coming?! If so, who will it come from?!

Kirara has arrived!

Do Midoriko and Nozomi reconcile?

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	9. Until Whatever End...

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 9: Until Whatever End…

There was a breeze. Warm, and gentle. It swept over my frame, and I felt it lure loose strands of hair from my slick and sweaty skin – though it was mostly unable to draw the black threads entirely from my being. My hands burned, the dull heat pulsing up my arms and reminding me what had gotten me in this state to begin with. Some sort of fabric covered the burned skin and based on the sickening warmth of the thin wrappings, it had been pressed against my flesh for quite some time now.

My mind sharpened, and I tried to figure out my surroundings without alerting anything nearby that I had stirred from my sleep. With the sound of faint breathing coming from nearby, I slipped my energy into the ground with the hopes of using my Range to sense who – or what – was watching over me. As I waited, I tried to get a grasp on my surroundings with the limited information my physical body could provide.

I was no longer in the forest – there were no calls of creatures echoing from the treetops or scurrying across the tangled undergrowth. Nothing brushing against bushes, no bark being scratched or climbed, no hunters stalking their prey. The floor beneath me was definitely man-made: there were no rocks or roots or branches digging into my body unevenly. While there seemed to be a window or door open, the slight breeze only came from one side – an escape if necessary.

My hands were unrestrained, as were my feet… and my hair was no longer separated by my red ribbons. My lips were dry, tongue pulling roughly against the inside of my cheeks. Katashi’s bow and quiver were no longer attached to me – a wise choice for any being who brought me here, but not nearly enough to stop me from leaving. That brought up the question, though. Who _had_ brought me inside? The Demon Slayers certainly wouldn’t have taken me in. An unsuspecting human could’ve come across me, but I hadn’t seen any other human villages nearby.

I took a deep breath, and the scent of blended herbs breached my nose. A combination of which soothed burns. It clouded other smells, but even with the strong smell the scent of human filled the room. But I couldn’t tell if there were any demons nearby, with the overpowering scent of herbs and humans in the air. If there were, they didn’t spend much time here.

As my energy pulled up from the ground, filling in corners and walls and all other furniture and bodies that were within my Range, a clearer picture of where I was started to form.

It was a house, a pretty large one at that. The traditional-styled rooms branched off from hallways, and slight changes between the thickness of them provided me with some clue as to where my escape exit would be. It wasn’t a window that was open, allowing the wind to blow through the room, but a door: one that led outside. It was behind me, or rather, it beyond me, in the direction my head in. The adjacent rooms held no people, but there were beds set up – probably to entertain any guests. Standing candle-holders dotted the area my Range showed me, but from what I could tell, they were all unlit.

There were two figures in my room. One sitting just outside the door.

In my room, there was a small child, leaning against a cat… with two tails. I knew where I was, and disbelief set in when I realized who was sitting outside.

Who had taken me to the Demon Slayer Village? Why had they let me in? Was it some sort of plot? Were they under some sort of spell? Had something happened, and they needed my strength, so they were trying to-

“I can hear you thinking from here, Nozomi.”

A frown tugged at my lips, my heart thundering uneasily in my chest as Midoriko’s voice was quietly spoken out into the silent air. With effort, I eased the frown from my face, and retracted my energy (which I realized Midoriko had noticed as I sent it out to survey my situation). As it filtered back into my body, I opened my eyes. Dim light shaded the room, casting shadows on the wooden ceiling.

Silently, I pulled myself into an upright position, turning over my hands to observe the work that had been attempted at fixing the burns across my pale skin. It wasn’t _too_ bad, for a human’s work. But unfortunately, it wouldn’t do much to ease the pain that went far deeper than the skin thanks to my heritage. A piece of cloth fluttered to the ground, and it took a moment to realize that it had been resting on my forehead.

It was nighttime now, but I wasn’t sure if it had only been hours or _days_ since I healed the nekomata. My entire body was stiff, and the tenderness that dwelt in my bones wouldn’t leave for another few days. Well aware of the silence that consumed the space between me and the priestess, I took my time to look around the room. My eyes adjusting to the light, and I slowly stretched out my muscles.

The room was made from *shoji, and darker areas on the thin paper on the wall to my right revealed that it had several attempted patch-jobs. The paper was fairly easy to tear, but with that many patches it might’ve been better to just replace it than to continue to repair the holes. The room the wall shared with this one, as it looked like the patching work hadn’t been done from this side, was on the corner of the house from what I could sense before I retracted my energy.

Turning my attention away from the wall, I found the sleeping figures of Hotaka and the nekomata curled up on the *tatami flooring.

Even though I scanned the room several times, I could not see Katashi’s bow nor my quiver of arrows.

“This is your home?” It was more of a statement, then a question, but I felt that it would be better to ask then to tell.

“Yes.” Midoriko’s curt reply was followed by the rustling of fabric, and I could feel her gaze on my back.

“It seems that you readily accept demons into your home, Midoriko.” I met her gaze, looking over my shoulder at her as the moonlight silhouetted her figure, “Do the rest know I’m here? That the nekomata is here?”

There was a pause, Midoriko’s gaze slid over to the two sleeping beings in the room, “…Yes, the village is aware that you two are here.”

My brow furrowed. The only reason I could think of for myself and the nekomata to be in Midoriko’s home, was that no one knew that we _were_ here. Midoriko’s father would never have allowed it, nor would the Demon Slayers who lived here. Even Midoriko wouldn’t-

“Ah. So, the cub managed to convince everyone to house me?”

“More or less.”

I inspected my hands, “And who bandaged my burns?”

Her eyes turned back to me, “Fujioka.”

The name drew an immediate grimace to my face, and I peeled the bandages from my skin. The scent of the healing poultice grew stronger, and my nose wrinkled as I got a look at the damage that had been done to my hands. Moving my fingers was hard, and where the infernal redness spread across my skin, leaving welts and blisters, the area was swollen and beyond painful. And this was only the result of such weak fire. I dreaded to think what would happen from something greater.

“Hmph. His skills are pointless when used on me.” As much as I hated to admit it, for a human, he wasn’t too bad, “Where are my things?”

I stood, slowly. My mind swayed dangerously even at my careful pace, but I brushed it off as I focused on starting to heal my wounds. Drawing my energy back into my hands, starting to push away the heat that prevented my natural healing from taking hold. Luckily, because they had come from a weak flame, it wouldn’t take too long – maybe a day or so had to be dedicated to the endeavor. But, it _was_ summer… I’d probably only be able to heal it at night, when my body wasn’t dedicating energy to preventing the heat from raising my temperature.

I scowled, my hate of summer growing immensely.

“You are staying here until you recover, Nozomi.”

I raised an eyebrow, turning to her. She was still sitting out on the *engawa, but she had turned sideways to face me. Her right leg still dangled over the edge of the wooden foundation, while her left was bent and placed on the wooden pathway, so she could look at me fully.

“I am not something to be kept, like some sort of tame pet, Midoriko. I will go where I please, whenever I so choose. And I choose not to be surrounded by those that are forced to have me.”

“Lies. You enjoy forcing people to do things they don’t want to do. And not being welcome hasn’t stopped you before.” She let out a breathy little laugh, reminiscing of the several times I had done so on our journeys, and the hint of a smile stayed on her lips as she waited for my response.

I couldn’t deny the truth in her words: I didn’t care what any of those foolish humans thought of me, or how they’d be disgruntled at my presence in their village.

…But I didn’t say that. Just like I didn’t say that I was thinking of her when those words left me. That would be admitting to something I refused to believe – that the human woman in front of me meant that much to me that I would consider the thoughts of others because of it. That I’d consider _her_ thoughts and feelings.

I wasn’t ready for the implications that those feelings brought – and how much easier it would be for her to use me because of them.

 So, I ignored her words and met her eyes with an even stare, “I will be waiting in the forest for your decision, as I have promised. Where are my things?”

Surprise flitted over her features before they softened, “Nozomi…” She trailed off, unsure of what to say, “Come here. Sit with me for a while. We… we need to talk.”

For a moment, I didn’t move. I watched her closely, my icy blue eyes scanning her face for any indication of what she wished to talk about. For the answer she had come to. I found nothing by the knowing gaze of brown eyes, clearly concealing her thoughts from me because she knew what I was doing. With a huff and a roll of my eyes, I padded across the room. The tatami felt springy under my sock-clad feet, and the rigidness of the outer corridor’s wood was a stark contrast.

Human houses certainly were nicely-made.

I suppose they had to be, to protect their weak flesh from all sorts of dangers the open air brought. Kitabayashi had taken a few of the human designs into our own buildings, but the warriors left out the unique elegant feeling these human houses brought in favour of something more… demon. Anything that took too long to make was discarded: tatami mats and shoji panels were too weak to withstand the force of rowdy white-tiger demons. Sure, some of the demons chose to put them in their homes, but they were few and far between: wooden planks were more favourable.

Slipping down to sit beside her as she removed the leg propped up on the wood to dangle it over the wooden foundation with her other foot, we stared out into the lush garden that greeted us. A walled fence was barely visible through the trees and the shadows that fell on the smooth surface, but judging from what other houses I had seen, the Yanagi family owned an average plot of land. To the left, nearing the end of their land, a training area was set up – training dummies and targets were set up in and around the trees. Illuminated by the light of the moon, they looked to be something out of human drawings – that of ‘ghosts’. The straw that leaked from their makeshift bodies broke the illusion quite effectively, though.

“I thought about what you said. And what… I said. Nozomi… I… I was acting like a child-”

“Yes, you were.” She gave me a pointed look, and I met her eyes with a mischievous smirk.

“-and I wanted to apologize for not realizing it sooner.” She shifted, turning her body towards me, “I know that this will sound like an excuse, but that’s not the way I mean it. I just want to explain… Why I treated you so terribly.” She took a breath, “Why… I was such a horrible friend.”

I waited. My body straightened, muscles tightening as if preparing for some sort of impact, and I kept an eye on the priestess discretely as I feigned interest in the garden.

“As you know, I grew up as a Demon Slayer. My father was a Demon Slayer, my mother was a Demon Slayer, my friends were all Demon Slayer… Everyone I knew were Demon Slayers. And they all said the same thing: Demons are evil. Demons slaughter humans without hesitation. To protect us and our own, we **_have_** to fight back. To slay those that would slaughter all of us.”

She let out the deepest sigh I’ve heard come from her lips, “And I believed them. I believed I was right, and that demons were the enemy and would always be so. It was _so_ clear. We were good, and your kind were bad.” I rolled my eyes at the morality, but she didn’t see it, “…And then you came along.”

“I had seen demons attack one of their own before… but a whole village? And then you were more interested in killing your own kind than me and mine… You saved my life. You’ve saved my life countless times… When it was just us travelling together, it was perfect. I could finally count on someone to have my back. But then, whenever I returned home… nothing made sense anymore.”

“I would leave you to go back to a world where demons were the enemy. There were no exceptions, no differences… It was clear, and any alteration was… discouraged. And then I’d go back to travelling with you again, and it’d get all blurry.”

“Those lines that had been so clear, and defined what I was and what I did… I didn’t know how to draw them anymore. And that only brought up questions – hard questions. Questions that I didn’t want to ask, because I didn’t want to hear the answer.” She paused, “So… I thought… If you were human, then nothing would have to change. I didn’t have to ask those questions, and I wouldn’t have to hear the answer. I wouldn’t have to figure out what was right, and what was wrong: I didn’t have to wonder if I had slain others like you, or if humans and demons could live together in peace if the cycle of bloodshed stopped and we actually considered the option for a moment.”

She turned to look out into the garden again, “…When you reminded me that you were a demon, and that it was wrong to assume that you knew human customs… It took me by surprise.” Her voice grew softer, “I was surprised, because I realized that I hadn’t given you any consideration. That between the two of us, you were the only one trying to accommodate our differences. I… I was selfishly concerned only with our similarities.”

She reached out, and her hands found mine as she gently held them in her own, “Would you please consider accepting my apology and continuing our partnership – as friends?”

I looked at her, taking in the shades of her brown eyes as they searched mine nervously. I opened my mouth to reply to her question, but before my answer made its way up my throat, a small mewl shattered serious air. The nekomata had left Hotaka behind and padded up to us. We paused for a moment, as I had almost forgotten that the small feline was with us, and it used that moment to stand up on its hind legs. Pressing the soft pads of its front paws up against our clasped hands, it nuzzled our palms, trying to work its head under my palm.

After Midoriko realized its intention, she released my hands with a laugh and the nekomata took the opportunity to jump into my lap and curl up. Looking down at the nekomata, I gently rub below the cat’s furry chin before running down its flank as it starts purring.

“I think that our current arrangement works well, Midoriko.” I glanced up at her, “Although now that we have formally confirmed our friendship, I hope you are prepared to be told of any shortcomings.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Nozomi.” Sharing a soft smile, we fell silent, gazing at the nekomata as it happily warmed my lap.

“Has the cub given this little nekomata a name yet?”

“No, not yet. He was waiting for the ‘Demon Priestess’ to name her ‘noble demon-cat’.”

I snorted, “Unfortunately, I can hear the young Yanagi saying that. What are we doing with this cat?”

“Does the nickname bother you? Should I tell Hotaka to stop?” She glanced back behind us at his figure on the floor, “As for the demon cat… It seems pretty attached to you. We could take it along with us on our travels – it managed to do a number on you, at least.”

I shot my hand out to give her a playful push on the shoulder, ignoring the slight pain that ran up my hand at the motion, “Hey. Too soon. The name doesn’t bother me. Let the cub do what he wants.”

“Are you going soft on me, Nozomi?”

“In your dreams.”

“…Thanks for looking out for my brother, Nozomi.”

I ignored the comment, letting it drift in the air for a moment before moving on, “We should call it Kirara.” The nekomata mewed in response, which I chose to take as acceptance.

“That sounds like a good name.”

The moments stretched on, and Midoriko yawned silently at my side.

“You should get some rest, Midoriko.”

“I’m not-”

“You sure?” I grinned widely at her before Kirara drew my attention with her furious rubbing against my hand, “Because it looks like I’ll be meeting your parents tomorrow.”

“…You raise a very valid point. I’ll take my brother back to his room and get some sleep.” She stands up, straightening her clothes while doing so, “I would ask you to get some sleep too, but I’m sure you’d rather plot for tomorrow.”

“Good night, Midoriko.”

“Good night, Nozomi.”

The priestess collected her sleeping brother, without disturbing him from his slumber, and quietly takes her leave. Throughout the night, I continued healing as much as I could before daylight touched the grass of the Yanagi residence.

“Well, Kirara.” I gave the demon cat a gentle pat on the top of its head, “Welcome to the team, for now. At least we outnumber the humans two-to-one.”

With the resulting mew, I waited for the humans in the residence to wake. Feeling strangely settled in the human house, I looked forward to discovering more about Midoriko’s family.

* * *

 O

* * *

 The crisp air of autumn had an undercurrent of cold wind, alerting me to winter’s closeness. The summer had passed quickly, with Midoriko keeping us in the village for most of the heated days, and the few times we left the village she had taken the shortest jobs available. Even that had been tentatively acquired by the priestess, at my fervent insistence of wanting to leave the human-infested area – and the hovering Fujioka – behind.

I put my hair up in it’s usual style, tying the ribbons deftly as I waited outside of Midoriko’s room, “Hurry up, Midoriko. Get the mud off of you and get geared up. We need to head out to this ‘demon-of-demons’ the old hags are talking about.” My voice fell flat, even though my choice of words were better suited to a more playful tune. Midoriko’s response was muffled but withheld the usual energy as our banter fell on disheartened ears.

My hands ran down my red fire-silk kimono, gifted to me by Midoriko over the autumn festivities (and seemed to be the reason she sometimes left the village without me). As my hakama was wrapped around my waist, the light and dark coloured floral designs that drifted down the lower half of the kimono were left unseen, as were the black lines that sprouted from the bottom of the smooth fabric like blades of grass. The sprinkling of star-shaped green leaves was also hidden from sight, completing the pattern. With the black fabric hiding much of the design (the bottom of my kimono sleeves still displayed the general premise of it), the plain red colouring made it seem like it was more formal attire – something that I liked immensely. The silk was free from the mud we had played in with the cub and Kirara earlier that day, thanks to the burst of energy that had cleared me of it moments after leaving the muddy battlefield.

How quickly this day had changed, I mused.

It had started with such mirth, a brief moment of respite as we played with Hotaka out in the forest. It was a simple walk, which soon turned into a mud-fight in the slick ground that had been pelted by the harsh rain for days on end. The frost had yet to set into the ground, not yet hardening from the cold… But as soon as we heard the news, approaching the gates of the Demon Slayer Village, the wind had seemed that much colder.

Souma Fujioka, the human who relentlessly pestered me when we were both in the village, and had made several attempts at getting closer to Midoriko – which I promptly ended… Had offered his body to demons, exchanging a conduit for all their energies in exchange for power. At first, I thought it was a joke that the humans had come up with: an underhanded one, for sure, but Fujioka seemed to rub people the wrong way. It was something the villagers all had in common.

It had happened _so_ close to the village, too. Right underneath their noses, for the past couple days. Had their spiritually-gifted humans been unable to sense it? The change? Had they simply not known what it was?

…Even _I_ didn’t know what this was.

How could a human become the host for multiple demons? What kind of abomination would be created by such a combination…?

It certainly couldn’t have been done before… could it?

Kirara’s large head nuzzled me, forcing my worried fist to loosen as I gave the nekomata a scratch behind the ears, “Your right, Kirara. There’s no need to worry: this is why they’ve demanded that the three greatest Demon Slayers take on the ‘demon-of-demons’ – though they seemed quite unhappy to admit that us two demons were a part of that trio.”

My worry didn’t disappear with the smoothing of Kirara’s fur, however.

“Alright, let’s be on our way to the cave. We have to stop it before Fujioka… Before whatever he’s turned into has the chance to escape and cause damage.” Midoriko stepped out from her room, fully clad in her armour, strapping her sword-filled sheath to her side as she spoke.

Kirara followed my lead as I stepped off the outer walkway that wrapped around the familiar Yanagi house, heading towards the middle of the garden before jumping on Kirara’s back. The nekomata could fly, we had figured out shortly after we added her to our traveling party, and it was quite useful in closing large distances or making a hasty retreat during a rescue mission. But, the large teeth of our favourite demon-cat could pierce almost any demon hide with little effort, and so she also made a trusted fighting companion as well.

As Midoriko joined me on Kirara, who gracefully held our weight with the strength of firm muscle beneath the soft and often-smoothed fur, Hotaka called out to us from the home.

“Be careful, Midoriko, Nozomi, Kirara! Come home safe!” Peering behind Midoriko, his figure had come out from his bedroom on the corner of the house, and his hands were cupped around his mouth so that his voice could easily travel the distance between us.

Leaving the solemn tone behind, probably having heard from the others what we were leaving to face, the usual playfulness trickled through, “I know you will, Demon Priestess!”

Rolling my eyes at that statement in good humour, I sent him a wave as Midoriko called out her goodbye, and Kirara bounded into the clear sky.

The flight wasn’t long: it wouldn’t have taken long on foot to begin with… but with the unknown nature of what we were dealing with, getting there as soon as possible was safest. Soon, Kirara was slowly bringing us down in front of the limestone cave that lay just beyond the Demon Slayer Village: overlooking it as it was further up the slope of the nearby mountains than the village was. While the villagers new of it, as it was where the Demon Slayers had gotten some of their metals from before turning to repurposing demon remains, no one really went up this far anymore.

Kirara touched ground again with a growl, and I could feel that Midoriko’s gaze was drawn to the same thing mine was: the opening of the cavern and the wretchedly dark energy that poured out of the darkness. It spilled out onto the grass that had found root in the rocky ground, and the grass had been sapped of its strength in a wide arc outside the maw of the cave and the beast that dwelt within.

We did nothing but stare into that darkness, as seconds passed by. I wondered if Midoriko was feeling as apprehensive about this mission as I was. If the hair on the back of her neck raised like mine did at the thought of it – as Kirara’s did? I smoothed the fur down, quieting Kirara’s growls in doing so.

Midoriko slid off the nekomata’s back, and I soon did the same.

She approached the cave opening, stretching out her hands towards it tentatively before recoiling, “It’s strong, whatever it is.”

“We’re stronger.”

I’m not sure which kind of voice came from me as I said those words, but it seemed to ease Midoriko’s mind. She quickly began making a barrier around the entrance, and as she worked, I slowly deciphered what kind of barrier was being constructed: something that would keep whatever was inside _inside_ , and whatever was outside _outside_. It was a good failsafe, one that had me wondering if my words eased her at all: if we _weren’t_ strong enough, then at least this would stop it from coming out. Midoriko’s ability to make enduring barriers would make sure of that.

The few minutes it took for her to erect the barrier were silent, and I told myself that it was because I was letting the priestess concentrate on her work.

“Ready, Kirara?” The large nekomata gave a growl in response, and her brown eyes turned towards me, “Ready, Nozomi?”

Walking up to her, Kirara not far behind, I placed a gentle, but firm, hand on her shoulder as I met her stare, “I’m with you until whatever end, Midoriko.”

She nodded at my words and took a deep breath of the freshest air we’d see for a while before heading inside. I drew an arrow from my quiver, readying it against Katashi’s bow and pulling the bowstring taught as I let Kirara enter behind Midoriko before closing up the rear. My breath clouded as I kept my eyes trained on the shadowed figure of the human priestess, descending carefully with the sloped path inwards. My energy filled the cave, providing me with insight as to where the more difficult terrain would be and being fairly sure-footed because of it.

Midoriko, with her human eyes, was sometimes caught on a rock or pebble, but managed to recollect herself before meeting with any unfortunate circumstance with navigating down to the miscreant’s lair. After a while, her eyes seemed to adjust, and she deftly made her way down.

It was then that my energy expended enough for me to feel the writhing amalgamation of demons that formed into one, and the demonic stench that came from such a mixture was potent enough to have me wishing that I was back in those summer days, surrounded with the sweltering heat and the multiple humans casting dubious glares (at best) my way rather than this. It coiled and uncoiled, skittering over and under itself as it took up much of the large cavern up ahead. Many legs and arms and heads and other appendages stuck out from its winding body at odd angles, scales and fangs and claws decorating the flesh like the jumble of a human cub’s unimpressive creations. It was the kind of thing that people drew on for an outlandish telling of a nightmare or fever dream, but all of the worst ones combined.

As Midoriko entered the miscreant’s lair, even she, the stalwart warrior priestess, froze and stood completely still in the wake of such a terror.

Kirara seemed to be the least shaken of us, and I drew on her fierce growls to lead me into battle with a confident heart as I crept up behind Midoriko. My arrow focused its point on the largest part of the demon – its serpentine body – and as the miscreant writhed, I saw the human face of Fujioka fused into the underside of its scaly body. He was long dead, killed by the strain of having numerous demons inhabit his frail body, and from a long sniff that took more will than I ever though possible, I could tell that…

The numerous minor demons – the scents of which still lingered in the air – had all combined into the overpowering scent of a dragon demon: one of the more powerful demons to exist.

“Stay vigilant, Midoriko. Fujioka is no more: all that’s left is a dragon demon forged from numerous lesser demons. Let’s stick to the usual plan: learn its moves, and I’ll Misdirect it eventually so that we can make this quick.”

With Midoriko’s nod, we began our hardest fight yet.

The priestess released her blade from its sheath, wielding it with a practiced hand as she quickly made her way closer to the demon, hacking at the gnashing fangs and grabbing hands that approached her as she went. Kirara took to the air, drawing some of the demon’s attentions towards her and allowing Midoriko an easier path to the head as she bit down and tore off pieces of demon as she swooped in closer to the writhing mass before lifting up into the air once more.

I released my arrow, aiming directly for Fujioka’s head in the hopes that it would remain a weak spot for the dragon. But as I saw my arrow sink easily into the human flesh, but delve no further, I concluded that normal arrows wouldn’t even leave a scratch in the demon’s toughened hide. Forming crystalline arrows of my own, I fired them one after the other: aiming for the body before the imbalance I had created in the energy that had made the structure caused it to shatter with Icicle Burst. The raining shards of eyes embedded themselves into long stretches of demon hide, causing a many-voiced howl to reverberate through the cavern. A few arrows I aimed up to the head of the demon (now occupied with the approaching priestess) but found that the closer I got to the head of the dragon, the tougher the scales became: which left my arrows unable to pierce it.

So, I focused on inflicting widespread, though minor, wounds on the main body of the miscreant. If my arrows weren’t aimed with this task in mind, then they were fired from Katashi’s bow with the hopes of aiding Kirara and Midoriko by disabling an unsuspecting limb making a move they wouldn’t be able to dodge in time.

After a few hours passed in this way, Midoriko signalled to use Misdirection, and the cavern filled with a thick fog.

But instead of the single entity being trapped within, it seemed like the countless flailing parts settled inside the dragon demon’s body moved on their own command. So, it was much harder to Misdirect all of them (as the focus was on disorienting the main dragon head as it was the greatest threat) and also provide Midoriko and Kirara with clear sight of their target and the dangers that surrounded them. That being said, it did manage to give us a decent advantage for two-three days (it was hard to keep track of time when battling a giant dragon-demon thing).

But when the fog faded, and the dragon demon’s senses returned to it… that’s when everything started going horribly wrong.

Midoriko was exhausted: three days of non-stop battle would be hard for a human, even of her caliber. Kirara and myself were even starting to slow down considerably, but I believed that we could still defeat the demon-mixture. Even if its spawning seemed to provide it with relentless energy – as it kept fighting just as well as it had when we had started this. We were damaging it, slowly, but steadily. Even though my own energy had been mostly used up with Misdirection, it couldn’t take much more than what we had already done to it… right?

…It hadn’t managed to hit one of us until the third day, where it hit Midoriko, hard.

I wasn’t even sure what had happened: one moment she was fighting up close, the next she had been flung back towards me.

Then her arm landed beside me as I caught her figure.

She screamed out in pain, and as Kirara looked away to locate the source of said scream, the long body of the dragon-demon lashed up into the air and knocked Kirara out of the air. The nekomata skidded on the hard ground, transforming back into her smaller form as she reached our feet, hardly able to stand herself up again.

But, we could still win, _right_?

The energy I had pooled underneath the demon emerged in the form of large spikes of ice, using Arctic Assault to pin the demon’s long body to the wall. The satisfying wails of the demon piercing my ears as the hardened ice ripped through most of its defensive armour before digging into one side of the body and out the other as it connected with the curved limestone wall. With that, my energy had pretty much been depleted. But I still steadied Midoriko before grabbing the arm that had been wrenched from her body with demon teeth. I knew I could reattach limbs shortly after they had been severed off, but not without a large pool of energy to draw from: one that I didn’t have any longer.

Surely, we could still win, _right_?

Midoriko blankly stared at the demon as I gently grabbed what remained of the arm attached to her body, trying to call forth what remained of my energy to try and staunch the bleeding _first_ , before I tried to attach any limbs with nothing. But, it seemed like I had nothing left to staunch the flow of blood to begin with. Midoriko took the arm from my hand, throwing the lifeless thing to the ground before bending to pick up the sword she had dropped in her pain.

“Leave it, Nozomi.” She looked down to Kirara, “Kirara, head back to the village and tell them that the demon is slain. We’ll take it from here.”

Our companion looked from Midoriko towards me with a saddened look in her red eyes, but I nodded in agreement and she dejectedly limped out of eyesight. I heard the nekomata’s transformation fail twice before the sound of the flash fire wrapping around her small frame and soon I no longer heard the paw steps dislodge any rocks on the return journey. The sound of the demon-of-demons writhing against my ice returned me to the present situation as it howled out again, in pain, as it did more damage to itself struggling to break free.

It would, eventually, but it would give us enough time to make a plan. I looked over at Midoriko, who had her eyes closed in concentration as she held up her blade. This time, she wasn’t creating a barrier: she was turning her own blade into a sealing spell. According to what I knew of such things, it was a fairly short-lived one: it would only last a few days before breaking on its own. Such a seal needed contact with what needed to be sealed and wouldn’t harm them physically. Many of the other priestesses in the village had threatened to do so in the beginning… and even up until last week – those old hags never learned. Was Midoriko giving us some time to rest and recover, while the demon was stuck inside the sword? It was a good idea, but…

“A sealing spell? You plan to seal the demon away for some time? Midoriko, what-?”

I wasn’t able to finish my sentence. Due to surprise, due to shock… perhaps due to some mixture in between. I felt Midoriko’s chest against my shoulder, what was left of her arm angled into my back as she pressed me closer to her and prevented me from stepping away. The warm blood quickly formed a wet trail down the side of my kimono and hakama as it the red liquid pooled against my body. It was only after a breath or two did I finally feel that cold metal had plunged into my heart.

“W…What?”

The blade was angled, and while it went through the skin of my chest just as the soft skin of my breast began, it came out through my back somewhere in the upper-half of my shoulder blade. It didn’t bleed, didn’t rupture any veins or break any bones… It simply passed through me. It was weightless yet bore down on me with a weight I hadn’t experienced before. It did nothing, and yet I could feel that my being was started to bend around the blade: warping and shrinking and stretching and consuming and being consumed… But every time my eyes relayed the sight of Midoriko staring into me, glossy eyes reflecting my shocked face staring back into her, the feeling disappeared, and my feet found the floor and my body found its place in the world again. But, it didn’t. And I feared that it never would.

Her mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear anything except the ringing in my mind, drowning out her voice and the horror pinned to the wall. My eyes couldn’t leave hers, searching for a reason that I couldn’t hear, couldn’t see. Couldn’t feel.

She had let me go.

Her sword was implanted into my chest, and as she left me, her back turning as she steadily walked towards the dragon that had freed itself, I felt my world collapse on me again. My perceptions warped, my senses betrayed me, my feelings betrayed me, and as my lungs stopped drawing breath I could faintly hear my voice calling out over the loud ringing.

“WHY?!”

But my voice went unanswered: as I could no longer hear the answer. My legs buckled as they no longer found purchase on the ground, and my knees hit the hard floor before they, too, quickly lost sense of where they were in relation to the rest of me. In relation to the rest of the world, too. My head spun, and I felt that the feeling would match the twisting and turning of the demon-of-demon’s serpentine body as it wrapped around the priestess before its mouth descended on her.

The blood on my kimono burned my skin, and I felt myself grow cold. Is this what it felt like to be cold, I wondered? To feel so muddled and confused, to not sense where my body started and stopped, and where the world began and ended? To feel this wretched… crawling thing spread under my skin and soon after having this blazing force consume its trail entirely and leave my insides hot and churning?

I closed my eyes, and that made the unnerving sensations of my body warping stop. But it didn’t end the ‘cold’. I was now falling. Falling into the blackness, unsure of what was up or down or left or right… because none of it mattered. I was falling, not fighting a demon, not looking into brown eyes, not seeing the heart-wrenching limp of Kirara. And so, I gave in, and stopped fighting the fall. And within my falling, I could sense the ground disappear from underneath me as the sound of metal clattering to the ground silenced the ringing. My last conscious thought was consumed alongside me: _How quickly this day had changed._

But, as expected…

It didn’t hurt.

Not physically. 

* * *

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

***Shoji:** A sliding panel that is made of thin paper in a wooden frame, used as doors, interior walls, and windows in traditional Japanese buildings.

***Tatami:** Mats made traditionally from rice straw, and line the floors in older traditional Japanese homes.

***Engawa:** The outer corridor that wraps around a Japanese home. They separate the shoji screens and the storm shutters (amado), which are used for security, privacy, and safety (especially against typhoons).

* * *

 So. This totally wasn't traumatizing to write. *sniff*. Not at all...

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Welp. Things couldn't be going worse.

COULD THEY BE GOING WORSE

What will happen now?!

Rule #1: NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY!

Will Midoriko be there when Nozomi breaks from the seal?

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	10. Shattered Reflections

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 10: Shattered Reflections  

A gasping breath tore through the silence, ripping me from my world of darkness.

My back hit the ground, nearly forcing my first breath from my lungs. Confusion set in, as I felt the rough ground beneath me, smelled the foul air, sensed the remnants of the energy that had ensnared me fade from my skin. My countless attempts to create an illusory world inside my sealing remained unfruitful: this was the world Midoriko had locked away from me. I frowned, blearily looking around at the odds shapes of unfamiliar rocks that surrounded me.

My body felt tired, lying heavily against uneven ground that dug uncomfortably into my back. Air filled my lungs in a hasty pace, still reacquainting myself with the innate process that I had lost for an indeterminate amount of time. As my breath slowed, my body realizing that it had returned to normal functions, my brow wrinkled in concern at the slight pain coming from my chest. It encompassed the thin sliver of flesh where the priestess’s sword passed through my mortal body and pierced my energy, it was slight… but it was enough to pull my body into a sitting position.

My fingers lifted the red fabric away from the left side of my chest, and I peered at the revealed skin for a moment before blinking in disbelief. With slow movements, I ran my fingertips across my skin: almost as if I thought the thin pale line would disappear if I moved too quickly. My mind blanked as I traced the skin, slowly running over the raised skin in a trance before the word came to mind.

Scar.

That’s what this was, embedded in my flesh. Demons didn’t get scars: everything healed easily and left no trace of battle behind. My energy had somewhat replenished in my sealing, and so the scar should be disappearing… But it remained there. Clinging to my body obstinately like the sour taste in my mouth and the slight shiver that kissed my neck. I pushed my energy through the area, and when it flowed through the slice of flesh without even pausing my frown evolved into a scowl.

Where the blade had pierced me, it had left the area devoid of energy. In the sense that it didn’t even contain the _ability_ to hold onto or regenerate energy. When my body was burned, there were at least still some strands left behind to ‘hook’ the energy back in place and with a little time the energy would regenerate in the area on its own…

But there were no strands left in that long line of lighter skin.

It stood brazenly as an eerie reminder of Midoriko’s betrayal. The pain that hummed consistently through my body made it feel like the blade was still stick in my body, and only when I dug my fingers in lightly to massage the skin did it fade from the back of my mind. As I slowly pulled myself onto my feet, acutely aware of how heavy and sluggish my head felt as my neck held it, I wondered at why I was now marked.

Those that we had fought and sealed away had been sealed away indefinitely: Midoriko’s charms were powerful enough to do so, and from the large difference in ability she had compared to other priestesses and priests of this time, it would take many to break them. Would all of those demons be left with these same scars, too? The same mark of the blade that pierced their hide as a constant reminder written out on their skin? Was this just Midoriko’s work, or did other humans have the same capability once they learned how to use their energy to seal demons away into conduits?

Pursing my lips as I straightened the top of my kimono, smoothing the fabric over the skin again, I took in my surroundings. The strange-looking rocks I had been lying amongst weren’t rocks, and instead the petrified remains of the demon-of-demons. As my blue eyes travelled the length of the dulled mass, slowly turning around to follow it back to its source, the glinting metal of a familiar make caught the corner of my gaze. Wrapping my hand around the black handle, I pulled it out from under the mass that had landed on it. The sword still had Midoriko’s sealing spell worked into the metal, but for now it lies dormant: awaiting the energy required to reactivate it. Part of the corpse collapsed, and I realized that it appeared to be affected by a combination of the frailness of decay with the preservation of petrification.

It was a weird sensation, having the ability to manipulate my surroundings again. In my attempts to stop drifting through the darkness aimlessly, I had only managed to create flashes of scenes that had been engrained in my memories. The lone snowflake drifting down towards me slowly, my body righting itself as a white landscape… the sound of arrows sinking into wood as Master Katashi appeared… And then it all disappeared before the snow could reach the floor. The jarring jolt into darkness once again as I lost sense of time and place…

I shook myself out of the memory I was left with and scoured the ground for Katashi’s bow.

Unlike the sword, it was lying atop the demon’s large mass. As I placed it over my shoulder, pulling my head through the bowstring so that I could carry it easily, I noticed the slight shadow I was casting onto the ground in front of me. The remains were covered with a light shade of pink, and as I turned around, I caught sight of the dragon demon’s head as the powerful aura the light emitted also casted light shadows that emphasized the grooves and lines which made up the folds of what used to be demon hide. As I carefully stepped closer, curious as to what was emitting the glow while also avoiding sinking into the frail demon carcass as I walked over its expansive body, I saw something that stopped me mid-step.

As the light cut through the darkness and lit up the head of the demon, the stoned surface of its open jaw revealed the human statuette it held within its jaw. The smooth surface reflected off of the statue, and the shadows that were cast on the body seemed to give it some sort of otherworldly aura as the face of the priestess shared the same soft look the glow had.

…Midoriko was dead.

The emerging hollow feeling at this realization was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming rage that consumed my being in waves. The tension in my muscles as a result stemmed from the searing scar across my heart, and it only grew stronger as I stared at the priestess’s corpse. The sour taste on my tongue grew bitter, drawing my mouth into an angry line that refused to give into the curled corners of a frown. My jaw clenched, and like it, I steadily continued my path towards the pink glow.

There was a pink jewel sitting at the base of the petrified figures, perhaps the size of a large pearl, radiating a soft glow that contained such concentrated energy I hesitated to approach it. But, I did so anyway, noticing the sword’s sheath lying beside it: the tattered white cloth tied to it revealing that the teeth of the dragon demon had cut it from the priestess’s body. As it lay on top of the remains, I figured it happened shortly after… whatever happened here.

Ignoring the glow of the jewel for the moment, I took the time to slip the blade back into its casing. What remained of the cloth was useless, and so I discarded it and with a small sigh decided to hold onto it manually for now.

With that, I cautiously turned my curiosity onto the jewel. It obviously held immense power, and with how concentrated it was, it could probably amplify those who drew in its power into themselves. With _this_ much energy lying within such a small thing, though, it would probably consume those lesser beings who tried to use it. Although, as I hovered over the jewel, gazing into its smooth surface, it strangely felt like someone’s energy that I had sensed before… but it was muddled together with something else. Interested, I picked it up gingerly. The moment my skin touched the surface, I knew _exactly_ what she had done.

This jewel contained both the energy of Midoriko and that of the demon-of-demons.

My gaze shot upwards, finding the hole in the human’s chest that only confirmed my suspicions. She had tried to purify the demon by drawing its spirit into her own body and expelling them both. But even using her own body as a direct connection between her spirit and the demon-of-demons wasn’t enough to complete the purification. The jewel I held in my hand was the incomplete manifestation of her attempt.

And as I worked my way through her foolish actions, the implications behind it only made me angrier.

“You would’ve known it was impossible for you to purify it. You _knew_ that it would result in such a thing, and yet…” My voice was seething, yet it would do nothing to remove the calmness of her features, “You still created it.”

“You’ve just dropped something into this world that has the potential to **_start wars_** over the control of this power. And you _dare_ drop it into this world, **expecting** me,” My anger got the best of me, and the sheathed sword shook in my tightening grip, “To hide it and protect it after what you’ve _just_ done?”

But she couldn’t hear me anymore.

I let out a bark of a laugh, one dripping with fury and bewilderment and the smallest tinge of sorrow that the two covered up, “I can’t believe you. How _dare_ you, Midoriko. **How _dare_ you**.”

She created such a thing because I was the only one powerful enough in the Demon Slayer Village to hide such an intense aura with my energy. She thought that I would keep it safe, throwing away our victory because she believed _so_ strongly in that. Right now, I could only conceal its energy enough so that _every_ demon in the nearby area didn’t come looking for it. Though if any who craved this jewel’s power came too close, they’d be able to sense that I had it. They might not know where I kept it, but they’d _know_ I would have it. Even humans would be able to sense its power without someone with my abilities to hide it.

It seems like nothing changed, after all. She just handed me this task without even considering how it would affect me: how I’d be thrown into countless battles and wars once word of the existence of such a powerful jewel got out. How many challengers would come seeking its power…

How _dare_ she choose this life for me.

I scoffed, shaking my head at the nerve the human I once called ‘friend’ had. And with furious steps, stormed away from the remains without a second glance: a shaking sword in one hand, a pink jewel pinched precariously in the other.

* * *

 O

* * *

 I released my mind from those wretched memories, immediately kneading the pain from the line across my flesh as I carefully picked out the pink sliver from the human flesh. It came freely, with no human blood staining its surface, although the pink shard had a faint purple crack spreading deep within it. The human that had brought it deep into my forest had been consumed by said shard, the temptation of succumbing to its power was far too powerful a pull over feeble human minds. Yet even with the shard’s power, he had been easily dispatched by my hand.

It seems I couldn’t escape the echoes of misfortune Midoriko had caused me, even though I had delved into the forgotten shrine deep within the forest few travellers passed through – demon and human alike. And yet, her presence still found me.

Weaving my way through the trees, I left the body behind as I rolled the shard around in my hand. I curiously tried to wipe the purple sliver away from the usually pink-coloured surface… But I was unable to. And the inkling of energy that managed to _faintly_ remind me of the demon-of-demons concerned me greatly.

…The fact that the jewel had apparently shattered was a bad enough omen, as like that human, there were many who would search out the power the jewel could provide. Adding in the strange purple colouring, and it became far too ominous to simply throw the shard away and let the world take care of it – as much as I wanted to.

With the jewel in shards, more and more people would find out about the jewel’s existence… and it would deteriorate into who could find the most shards: who could find the most power.

I shrugged delicately, slipping the shard into my obi as I disguised it with my energy easily. No one would find the last piece now: that alone was more than those human priestesses who were _supposed_ to protect it could do.

After a few minutes, the shrine I had made my home in for close to fifty years appeared through the trees. It was small and had fallen into a little disrepair after the village of humans who had tended to it had fallen to roaming demons. It happens a long time ago, as the path to it had been retaken by nature. The forest itself was known to not relinquish those that strayed from the path that still had some travelers pass through it to get from one human village to the other. But, this road was on the other end of the woods than the grown over trail, and so not many managed to find their way to my resting place.

The water surrounding the shrine on one side, forming a clear pond that reflected the muted grey skies that hid the sun overhead.  The large stone slabs formed a ring around the pond and was the only remaining remnant that prevented the trees from surrounding all sides of the shrine completely in trees. Rain would come soon, I noted, as I brushed past the rough bark of towering trees before the decaying road cleared the trees. Stone lanterns, still in relatively good shape, guided me into the shrine. It wasn’t larger, and wasn’t made to house people, but I made my own space where I could. Setting Katashi’s bow against the wall as I entered, I sorted through the assortment of my belongings that I had pressed up against the corner of the simple shrine.

Finding a small pouch made from soft orange material and had flower patterns sown into the fabric, I fished the shard out from my obi and slipped it into the pouch. Closing the yellow drawstrings, I deftly tied the ends into a bow before tucking the pouch back into my obi. Keeping the mouth of the pouch upright as I pushed it deeper until only the wrinkled fabric of the closed mouth and the beaded ends of the strings were visible. Should I need to, the shard-holding pouch would be easy to pull up from its hiding place.

I would keep the shard on me, for now.

Eventually someone would come bring me the rest of the jewel, and I’d get rid of the shadow hanging over my every move by destroying that infernal thing once and for all. I rubbed the scar, the proximity of the jewel and memories I tried to forget making it more agitated than usual. But, as I sensed a powerful energy approaching my movements soon stilled.

It was coming towards me slowly: leisurely making its way towards my shrine in a straight line. After a moment, I recognized the energy and exited the shrine on the side of the water, taking a seat on the outer pathway of the shrine and waited for his arrival. I knew why he had come, and to be honest, I had expected him to visit much sooner than this… had he finally figured out that the fake tombs scattered across the land didn’t hold the sword he was now searching for?

I scoffed. With the amount of pride that man had, the Great Dog Demon had probably searched every one of those stacks of stone before tracking me down. Not only that, but that foolish imp would probably still be bumbling behind the heels of his lord. The last time I had seen them was at that war, fifty years ago. In exchange for a little help dismantling the multitude of spells placed on the sword’s sheath to keep me sealed in the sword by the Demon Slayers, I’d help out in the war effort against the panther demons. To be honest, it was a joke. And a pretty bad one at that.

He could’ve easily taken on the panther demons himself, and not bring weakling demons into the mix that I had to then try and save as the battle waged around me. Tōga, his father, had apparently banded them all together once before to fight the panther demons… which was probably why the great demon even allowed others to fight with him: he wasn’t much of a team player. But, even if he arrogantly underestimated others, he was not one to take lightly.

I reinforced the energy concealing the jewel shard’s presence.

Before the powerful demon’s figure came into view, I called out to him during his approach, “It’s not often this forest is visited by those who wish to sniff me out… It’s been quite a while,” My lips curled into a sly smirk as his golden eyes pierced the distance and met my blue ones, “ _Lord Sesshy_.”

The way his eyes narrowed slightly didn’t escape my scrutiny, and my smirk grew wider at his annoyance.

Clawed hands pushed away the last branches that stood in his way, and he stepped out from the woods, watching me impassively from across the water’s surface. He hadn’t changed since our first meeting: he held his pride close to his heart, and the strength of his belief in it permeated the air around him. It didn’t help that the Great Demon Markings reinforced this unsaid arrogant claim, with the purple crescent moon barely hidden by his silvery bangs and the two magenta stripes under his eyes and the ones that painted his eyelids. Similar markings also showed on his arms but were hidden from view by the sleeves of his kimono. Long silver strands blew in the light breeze before falling still, the length stopping at about knee-length.

He was a handsome demon, but his endless search for power left little room for such trivial observations to mean much.

His outfit hadn’t changed (though I suppose the same could be said for me as well), the spiked metal that covered his left shoulder that attached to his cuirass and the long flowing yellow sash with blue patterning on the bottom of the fabric still covered his mostly white kimono. His white sashinuki* hakama gathered at his ankles, revealing the black ankle-high boots. The Tenseiga still rested on his body, disregarded at his hip. Although, looking closer, the train of soft-looking fur thrown over his shoulder might’ve gotten a _little_ longer…

“Hmph! Well, it seems that old tree was right, Lord Sesshōmaru!” At the sound at the annoying voice, my smirk quickly soured into a frown as the demon stepped out from behind Sesshōmaru. He wore a simple brown kimono and a small black hat that was tied in place underneath his chin with a white strap, and he looked around at my home slowly, “Wow, this place is a dump! I guess the half-breed found the perfect home, after all!”

“Oh, the little imp hasn’t met his end yet?” My eyes turned to the little green-skinned annoyance with a blank look, “How disappointing. You indulge your vassal too much, Lord Sesshy.”

The large yellow eyes of the imp narrowed angrily, stepping from his master’s side as he squawked incomprehensibly, “You stand in the presence of Lord Sesshōmaru, and you should address him as such! You should feel honoured that we searched and travelled to you… you insufferable woman!”

“Oh? Did you go through all that trouble because little Jaken-imp can’t serve his lord properly?” I let out a muffled laugh at the fuming imp, “Well, then. I’m all ears, Jaken-imp. What did you fail to accomplish for Lord _Sesshy_?”

I emphasized the nickname for both the annoyance of Jaken and the great demon, flashing my eyes back towards him to see the flicker of annoyance in his golden eyes before turning my attention back to the irritation that flooded the small demon’s body.

He stomped his foot, swinging the staff he held in his hand down to point it towards me. The top of the staff had the wooden head of an old man on one side, and on the other, the wooden head of a woman with black hair that twirled around the staff before infusing into the wood. It was rather ridiculous to see the little imp swinging around a staff twice his size but pissing off the arrogant weakling was far too entertaining to stop.

“Shut it, snow-woman! Tell us where the real tomb lies! We’ve searched the many tombs scattered across the land, said to be _his_ resting place, yet the woman of the Human Head Staff screeches instead of the man! This is _your_ doing isn’t it? One of your tricks!”

Hmm… So, then I assume the staff the imp held was something created to track Tōga’s resting place? Not having to manually check each one would’ve made it easier to find… but Tōga had enlisted my abilities to ensure that his remains would not be disturbed by just _any_ demon. And, seeing as Sesshōmaru and his imp were approaching me for direction, Tōga’s will had been upheld. The Black Pearl I embedded into the eye of the Great Dog General’s brat had still been untouched. The staff would then have to be able to find the Black Pearl based on the demonic aura it contained within itself, thanks to the immense power it had to become a gateway to the Border of the Afterlife. It was immensely powerful, and only proved to me that Tōga had made mighty allies in his lifetime… But as the younger dog demon had been sealed to a tree, I doubt either brother had managed to get their hands on the Tessaiga yet.

It was a waste of a sword, and a waste of a final request… But Tōga’s foolishness is what led him to his death. His ‘love’ for a human had him running off to save her when he could’ve saved himself.

“Oh? So, you finally grew tired of blindly searching and are now seeking some direction, then?” I tilted my head, bringing a finger to my chin as a mischievous grin spread across my face, “Hmm… And you came to _me_ for _direction_?” I let out a snicker, “Pretty ironic, don’t you think?”

“Don't play around, Demon Priestess! My lord knows just as I do that you were one of the last to see the late Great Dog Demon alive, so you must know where the real tomb is hidden!"

"My, my. It seems like you're at your wit's end, imp." I stood up from my seat, walking to the water’s edge and glaring icily at the green demon, “But I’m getting rather bored with all of the accusations and demands you fling from your mouth wildly. I’d ask that you make your lord’s case quickly, imp, or don’t make it at all.”

“Oooooh!! I knew it! I just _knew_ you’d be like this, you ungrateful half-breed-!”

Well, this wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon…

I growled lowly, and the sound stopped the shrill-pitched noise coming from his mouth, “I believe you have just outlived your welcome, imp. You are quite mistaken if you think being in the presence of your lord allows you to constantly squawk as you have been doing. As I have been expecting Lord Sesshy, I am willing to listen to his request. But you, imp, are not so respected nor respectful to warrant the same treatment!”

Jaken was far too quick to throw insults at me than a demon of his feeble power should. Sure, our first meeting went just as well, but the little demon was a master at overstepping himself and irritating me. Naturally, I did the same to him: too bad it grew tiresome so quickly. But, before the imp could respond, Sesshōmaru’s smooth voice cut him off.

"Jaken." He glanced down towards his vassal, who eagerly awaited his command.

"Yes, my lord Sesshōmaru?"

"Silence."

"Of course, lord Sesshōmaru." With that, Jaken took a few steps back from the pond with his head bowed. As he came to a stop when he was further away from me from his lord, I let a satisfied grin spread across my face as my ploy to get Jaken to stop talking had worked wonderfully.

"Well, Lord Sesshy, now that the annoyance has been taken care of, what brings you all the way to my humble abode?"

"You know what I came for."

"Aww… It seems like fifty years have not made the heart grow fonder. How unfortunate. But, seeing as it’s been two hundred years since your father’s death, and you’re just _now_ searching for your father’s tomb…” I watched his face carefully, “Is it perhaps because you’ve learned that what you’ve been looking for lies within?”

The neutral expression he always wore faltered with a frown that only made my grin grow. Poor little Lord Sesshōmaru, not getting the fang that he desired after his father’s foolish death. It made sense, the power of the Tessaiga was not to be taken lightly… Even if he doubted the power of the Tenseiga so easily. His misguided search for power made ignoring the Tessaiga’s strength impossible.

Unfortunately, Jaken spoke up at my words, eyes lighting up as if he had caught me in a lie, "Aha! So you _do_ know of it!"

"Hmph.” I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes, barely keeping the scowl from my face, “I never said I didn't, imp."

A pointed look from Sesshōmaru silenced him once more as he quickly backed away. His golden eyes found my form as I watched in mild amusement as the imp stumbled over himself.

"You know where the tomb is."

It wasn’t a question, but I still answered it, "I do."

"Where is it?"

"That would be like leading a grave-robber to the grave they're trying to rob. All the fake tombs you visited before turning to me as your last resort were put in place to prevent your father's wishes from being overlooked."

At his silence, his eyes still burning into me, I shrugged and place my hands on my hips, “You might not be able to get what you want if it goes against his will, you know. Even if you find his true tomb."

"Where is it, snow-woman? I will not ask again."

“Hmm…”

I looked him over, and like before, I couldn’t discern much. Based on our last encounter, Sesshōmaru wouldn’t end his search until he got what he wanted, even if it went against Tōga’s wishes. From what I heard of Sesshōmaru’s hatred of humans… Even if I told him about the final resting place of his father he wouldn’t be able to retrieve the Tessaiga, let alone wield it. Not with the barrier Tōga had asked me to place on it.

So… I wouldn’t _technically_ be leading this graverobbing when I knew he’d be unable to pull Tessaiga from its resting place…

"I'd suggest taking the time to visit your brother, Lord Sesshy.” Once again, I enjoyed the annoyance that flashed over his face at the use of the nickname.

With that, he turned and left without another word. No more were needed. The great demon, still far from surpassing his father’s legacy, was just as keen as the late demon. Although he held a lot of pride in his power, at least I could be sure he wouldn’t foolishly get caught up in human affairs.

"What? Lord Sesshomaru, she hasn't told us anything yet-!"

Jaken hurried after his lord, only to crash into his leg as Sesshōmaru stopped when I called out to him, "Oh, Lord Sesshy?"

“Hm.” His voice didn’t raise or lower: it was only a sound made to show he had heard me and was listening.

"I'd advise you to be careful. Your father's wishes aren’t something you can easily work your way around."

But, even as I spoke the words, I knew they would fall on deaf ears. Sesshōmaru would survive whatever the Tessaiga and its chosen wielder threw at it, though it certainly was a highly lethal weapon in trained hands (a fact that would make Sesshōmaru all the more dangerous if he got his hands on it). Whether his pride would survive its rejection was another matter. A matter I could dangerously poke a little fun at when he returned with whatever request he had next.

"I'll see you guys later, then!" I let out the cheerful farewell with an exaggerated arc of a wave. I had a feeling that they’d be back sooner rather than later…

"Hmph! There's no reason for us to come back here, half-breed!"

With one hand idly resting on the black handle of Kishikaisei*, the blade’s sheath hung from the swath of fabric that tied my hakama, I watched the figure of the proud demon saunter back into the shaded woods and out of view. As his powerful energy left my Range, my mind no longer bent around his presence and returned to the shard hidden underneath my obi. Leaving the blade’s handle, my fingers once again traced the line across my unsettled heart from above the red fabric that hid the skin from view.

Would those that lusted after the power of a complete jewel be able to find me in my forest?

I shook my head, a low sigh released from my lungs as I turned to head back into the shrine. The wood creaked underfoot as it held my weight, and I gently traced the wooden frame of the shrine’s entrance.

Midoriko had taken enough from me with the creation of this jewel.

She wouldn’t take the quiet and hidden life I had carved out for myself here, not after all the struggling I had gone through to escape the countless re-sealing she had inspired. Not after the many years I had spent trapped in the sword I triumphantly kept on my body out of spite. Not after… everything.

I didn’t have anything left to give.

So, I refused to give any more. 

* * *

***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

  **Sashinuki Hakama:** a type of hakama that is supposed to show the foot while billowing over the leg and creating a ‘ballooning’ effect as the cord running through the hem of each leg is tied.

**Remember!** All half-demons are half-breeds, but not all half-breeds are half-demons!

**Kishikaisei:** The name that had been given to Midoriko’s sword, for reasons that will be revealed later~ It means (google translate certified, as always) ‘Resuscitation'.

* * *

Welp, Sesshy has finally arrived on the scene!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Sacred Jewel Shards always mean bad things.

SESSHOMARU HAS ARRIVED

What will prompt Nozo to join up with Sesshomaru?

poor Nozo... :(

Nozo participated in the Panther Demon War?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	11. Tessaiga's Fearsome Power

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 11: Tessaiga’s Fearsome Power

"Snow-woman."

The low voice was expected, as I had sensed the lord coming as soon as he had entered the forest, but I peered curiously out from the shrine when the annoying voice of his vassal didn’t sprout up alongside the lord’s. With a quick scan, the little green demon was no where to be seen, and with further investigation, the imp was waiting further in the woods. What was surprising, however, was that the great demon held a human arm in his hand – one that had a jewel shard embedded in it. What was _more_ surprising was that it seemed the lord now lacked his left arm.

“Oh? Look who’s back again.” I stepped beneath the doorway as I watched Sesshōmaru wade through the low water of the pond, his eyes locked on my form, “Aaaand it seems you left the imp at the door, what a good guest you’ve become Lord Sesshy~!”

The teasing prompted no annoyance to flicker across his face, and as I pursed my lips at him ruining my fun, I took the time waiting for him to approach (which was no time at all) to study him. He was… a little more sullen than usual? The loss of his arm seemed to be having no effect on his coordination, and if it wasn’t for the breeze that pulled the flowing fabric against his skin, I wouldn’t guess that there was no arm hiding underneath. Made sense, I suppose. For such a proud and powerful demon, the loss of an arm probably stung more in terms of wounding his pride than his body.

…And the fact that he would be coming to me, of all people, with this sort of injury…

He must _want_ (the great Sesshōmaru would never _need_ ) my assistance with something. Judging by the human arm, I’d say that he was looking for me to attach the thing to his arm. He could do so himself easily… But perhaps he had come to find out if such a thing would work before attaching it?

For Sesshōmaru to stoop so low as to attach a _human_ arm to his skin, his desire for the Tessaiga must be greater than I could even imagine. It was a wise idea and would certainly allow the great demon to grab onto the Tessaiga… Usually, that alone would not be enough to bypass the charm I placed on Tōga’s fang. But with his raw strength, Sesshōmaru could most certainly force Tessaiga to bend to his will and transform even with the wielder being ‘hateful towards humans’.

It was a stupid thing to be the thing to cancel out the ward and sealing spell Tōga wanted me to put on it, specifically because it could still be easily bypassed by demons such as his own son… But it hadn’t been my job to make him aware of such things. His old age should’ve brought with it some wisdom. Seeing how his death played out and now how his will was easily being side-stepped, it seems that wasn’t the case.

I gripped the handle of Kishikaisei, not even trying to disguise the action (he would notice even if I did try) as Sesshōmaru’s demonic energy surged and rid him of the water that had clung to his clothes.

He approached the shrine, stopping just before the wooden platform that held my figure above him, and spoke slowly, “You are the one responsible for the barrier on Tessaiga."

“Figured it out already, huh?” I shrugged, a slanted grin finding its place on my face as my icy blue eyes never left his golden ones, “Did you think your father didn’t think you’d covet the Tessaiga? As a precaution, I placed a spell or two on the blade at his request.” I brushed my untied hair over my shoulder, “Did it surprise you? Even after I _warned_ you about it?”

I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought my ‘warning’ only pertained to the difficulty of finding out where the Black Pearl containing the gateway to Tōga’s remains. Admittedly, the Great Dog Demon had left some obscure hints behind. Not that he’d listen to me if I told him about the ward in the first place. But, seeing as Sesshōmaru had managed to find the Tessaiga and probably lost his arm in the proves…

“So, the Tessaiga fell into the hands of Inuyasha, hmm?” The snarl that formed on his face had me taking an instinctive step backwards, my arm tensing to pull the sword from its scabbard at a moment’s notice, “Ooooh~ Now _that_ is a pretty scary face you’re making there. Did I strike a nerve?”

“Silence.”

…It really is a shame I never learned how to bite my tongue.

“It’s cute how you think you can command me like your imp of a vassal.” I let out a dark chuckle that quickly turned into a laugh at the way the lord’s golden eyes burned into me even as the rest of his face remained unmoved, “Now, now! It’s not very wise to give me _that_ kind of look in my own home!”

With my own _indirect_ threat thrown into the air, his eyes narrowed at me as the scathing intensity swirling in the golden pools within. The scowl dropped from his face: it was no longer needed as a warning of the murderous look he stared me down with. A delicate roll of my shoulders as a shrug came to existence fluidly brought my right hand, which was resting on the hilt of the blade, onto my hip instead as I held out my other. Even _I_ knew that pushing this the little bit _farther_ (which I wanted to do desperately to see if the stoic man would lose composure for a flash of a second) would be heading into deadly territory. And I very much still wanted to live.

Most of the fun came from _getting_ to this point anyway.

“Boo. You’re no fun. Give me the arm, you just want it attached, right?”

After a moment he nodded brusquely, and the human arm was in my hand. As I directed him to sit down on the wooden walkway, which he eventually followed suit after I did the same, and I took that time to inspect the arm.

It was human, the flesh cut off a few inches above the elbow. The task of figuring out when the arm had been severed was impossible: the jewel shard wedged inside of it preserved the flesh enough to make it seem like it had only _just_ been severed. Judging by the armour that covered much of the weak flesh, the arm had probably come from a soldier in one of the human disputes that seemed to have become numerous in this age. The shard itself was real, not a replicant that would’ve revealed its nature to me by now.

…Why would someone give a shard willingly away to Sesshōmaru? Sure, Sesshōmaru was strong enough that a shard wouldn’t do much for him – even the whole jewel wouldn’t really have a noticeable impact on his power – but what purpose did the giver of this convenient gift hope it would serve? Did they want Sesshōmaru to disarm Inuyasha, or even kill him? What was that half-demon up to that warranted such an extreme measure as to grant Sesshōmaru the ability to collect the Tessaiga? At the very least, they’d be squishing a lesser threat and creating one they couldn’t hope to contain…

…Just what kind of person was collecting the shards?

“Well, the shard is real. But I doubt it’ll do much for you.” I placed the arm on my lap, turning to roll up the half-unoccupied sleeve of the lord’s kimono as I carefully watched him to see if he would interrupt me to do so himself. He didn’t.

The wound had sealed itself from the open air, and it was hard to determine how long ago he had lost the limb. Thanks to the great demon rate of regeneration, it would be hard to determine much of anything about the injury. My eyes closed, and I focused my attention on the great dog demon’s energy as it flowed throughout his body as my fingers brushed up against the skin of the arm. I could feel that the lord was carefully watching my every action, but I pushed that thought aside as well.

“…You’ve reattached arms already, haven’t you?”

There were traces of leftover energy from foreign demons, in the fringes of flesh that had been stripped of Sesshōmaru’s energy. Because of this, the usual cycling of demonic energy throughout his body couldn’t consume that which remained from previous arms, as his energy was unable to reach it. That being said, because of Sesshōmaru’s strong energy, any attempt for the foreign energies to take over would be thwarted immediately. Jeeze, great demons were scary.

But, the fact that part of his body had lost its energy could only be because of the Tessaiga’s transformed attack… It was a truly fearsome weapon, no wonder it had claimed the lives of so many demons. If only I could’ve seen it being used by it’s first owner…

Well, if Sesshōmaru wielded it, he could no doubt draw out its true powers like Tōga could…

“I’ll repair the area before I attach the arm: it’s taken some damage that even you cannot heal from alone.” My voice held a slight teasing lilt to it, but it quickly fell into a more serious tone, “Don’t fight me.”

There was no way for my energy to match up with his, and so the only way I could do _anything_ with his energy was if he let me. If he didn’t… well, I didn’t have the strength required to stop such energy from consuming my own.

With that, I kept one hand on his bicep as my other reached for the human arm. Gently pushing my energy into the stump, I found that the lord’s energy didn’t fight against my own as I lured the energy back into the furthest reaches of what was left of his arm. Implanting the energy back into the skin, I could feel the muscle twitch against my palm as the energy that had remained from the other arms dissipated at the closeness of the strong energy. After a few minutes of luring the energy back into the area, the great demon’s energy was back where it needed to be: within a day or so with his regenerating abilities, the energy would continue to cycle through the area naturally.

I brought up the end of the human arm but paused just before I connected the two.

“The sacred jewel will help the attachment last longer than your other ones probably did. But, because of the jewel’s sacred energy, it will constantly be fighting with your demonic one… After a while, it might become painful and try and consume you the more you use it.” I opened my eyes, gazing down at the arm in my hand and the sacred jewel within it, before I met Sesshōmaru’s golden eyes, “This is just a formality, so you don’t blame it on me later. Do you accept those risks?”

The other arms he tried probably ended up crumbling under the strain of conveying his strong demonic energy, and it eventually consumed them. This one would fight him constantly, the potent sacred energy trying to purify him until he rid himself of the arm. Of course, I _could_ always attach the arm myself, using my own energy to connect the two, but because of the nature of the human arm… it wouldn’t last long against Sesshōmaru’s power. The only thing that _would_ be able to withstand it would be the original arm. But, seeing as how he didn’t present that to me when he came here, I doubted he still had it.

…Did the person who handed him the arm know that this could potentially consume Sesshōmaru?

“I didn’t come here for your pointless warnings.”

“How harsh, Lord Sesshy. If you had listened to the last one, you wouldn’t be here at all.”

Before he could send me the glare I knew was coming, I returned my eyes to the task at hand and connected the two arms (which _conveniently_ matched up perfectly at the joint). Using a little of my own energy, I linked the two energies together before they took over and attached themselves firmly. The living skin of Sesshōmaru smoothly transitioned into the dead flesh of the human arm, the sacred jewel shard acting as a connecter that made the attachment seamless.

I released his arm from my grasp, noting the movement of the human fingers before they stilled and retrieved the fabric that was bunched up under the spiked armour over his shoulder. Pulling the silk back over his arm, hiding the human attachment completely from view, I then stood up and retreated into my shrine.

Sesshōmaru probably wouldn’t use that arm out of spite for its human origins until Tessaiga was within reach: which would keep the conflicting energies from attacking each other too harshly for now.

I refused to let the sigh escape from my mouth as worry weighed heavily on my heart. The jewel had refused to leave my thoughts the moment I retrieved the shard from a corpse, and with another shard just out of reach, my fingertips pressed against my chest. If I was to end this misfortune once and for all by acquiring the full jewel… could I really just wait out the inescapable warring over its power here? If I wanted the past it and I shared to finally be buried like it should’ve been so long ago… then I should be gaining information about the main candidates trying to complete it. Then I could come up with an appropriate plan to get it back to its rightful place based on who had it.

It was foolish to wait and see who came to me with the jewel.

That path would let the jewel-holder have the advantage, and it was not at all the right way to ensure the jewel fell into my hands again. I had gotten to comfortable with this life, and far too interested in treasuring the freedom that I had clawed back from those priestesses than truly ending what had started all my troubles. To stop this once and for all…

“You know, Lord Sesshy~” I spoke, just as the man had reached the water’s edge to return to his waiting vassal, “If Inuyasha dies, then your father’s wishes for Tessaiga are destroyed alongside him. If that’s the case, then I’m no longer bound to his will.”

Sesshōmaru paused, and I took my time collecting what I would need. The quiver was strapped to my body, wooden arrows peaking from behind my shoulder. Red ribbons tied my hair up, the strands falling in two long streams of ebony falling against my red kimono. My right fingers wrapped around Katashi’s bow, while my left fingers ensured that Kishikaisei was strapped securely to my side, the sheath entangled in the straps of my black hakama. Leaving the rest of my measly possessions in the corner, all of which I could certainly do without, I left the shrine and met the eyes of the lord who was waiting for me to continue.

“So, should Inuyasha die, I believe the Tessaiga which was forged from his father’s fang, should then fall into the possession of the other son of Tōga. I would gladly remove the spells I have placed on the sword, if this were to happen, so that you would be able to use it freely and without the need for…” I trailed off, nodding towards Sesshōmaru’s arm.

“Oh?” His eyes watched me closely, roaming over my face in search of my intent. After a few moments, he slowly spoke, “That’s an interesting offer, snow-woman.”

He couldn’t tell what I was after. That was reassuring, at least. If I could escape the scrutiny of the great demon without having my intentions revealed (although there were clearly some suspicions raised), then surely anyone else I came across would be unable to determine them as well.

“Isn’t it?” I grinned, “But, of course, to verify Inuyasha’s death and subsequently, the agreement with your father, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be travelling with you for now.”

I waited for his reply, as while I was confident I’d be of more use to the lord than his current travelling companion was, I could never quite tell what his next move would be. So, as much as there was a chance that he’d let me tag along for a while, there was also a chance that he’d reject my company… A chance that I tried to reduce as much as I could by offering to undo the spell with the death of the lord’s half-brother. In doing so, I could probably get the chance to see who gave Sesshōmaru the jewel shard (not asking about it myself, of course, as the last thing I need is the great demon knowing I want something to do with them). And I would also get the chance to see what Inuyasha was doing that made this person want to offer Sesshōmaru help in obtaining the Tessaiga from him…

He turned, stepping through the water with long, but unhurried, strides, “Do as you wish.”

I disguised my relief with an impish laugh, “Well, if you insist, Lord Sesshy~”

Following him, my breath fogged the air as I froze the water beneath my feet to avoid getting my clothes wet. It didn’t really matter much, as drying off clothes was easy enough to do, but my time in human company had left some human habits behind. As Sesshōmaru sent out another burst of energy the second he left the water to rid himself of the wetness it left behind, I shoot a glance over my shoulder.

The shrine that had housed me for fifty years had faded wood, which had rotted in some places. The stone lanterns that were still rooted in place between the trees that had encroached on the building had been left unlit during the time I spent here. I had left no mark on this place and had made no move to restore the shrine or the grounds at all. Even the small pieces of ice I left floating in the water, the footsteps I left behind, were slowly breaking apart and melting with the warmth the water contained.

Perhaps after the jewel had been dealt with, I wouldn’t return here, and would seek out somewhere else for a few years of my life. Or perhaps I wouldn’t settle down again at all, and continue making my way around the land…

Shaking my head, I refocused my eyes on the trail of fur before me, watching it sway back and forth in response to Sesshōmaru’s steps.

Such thoughts can be left until _after_ I deal with the jewel.

“Oh, Lord Sesshōmaru! You’ve returned! Have you-” The frown that spread across my face mirrored the one that appeared on the imp, “Eh?! The half-breed!? What are you doing here?!”

Right. Travelling with the lord meant travelling with an annoyance as well, “Oh? I hadn’t realized you cared so much, imp.”

“Hmph! Anything that concerns my lord concerns me, too!” He sent me a glare, falling in step with me as we followed Sesshōmaru’s unfaltering path, “Even if it _is_ a half-breed like you.”

“Awwh! What a good little vassal you are, imp.” I sent him a sickeningly sweet smile with that ‘compliment’.

“You be sure to know your place, half-breed!” He pointed the staff at me like an accusing finger, “I don’t know what you’re up to, but Lord Sesshomaru has decided to allow you to be in his presence, miserable woman!"

“Woooow. I’m being threatened by a lowly imp, I’m absolutely _shaking_ in terror.” I brought up a hand to my forehead, resting the back of my hand against the skin as I continued with the sarcastic tone, “ _Whatever_ shall I do now? Is there no hope left for me?”

He stomped his foot on the ground, fuming with anger, “Why, you-!”

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 O

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I let out a low whistle as the ogre’s footsteps easily crushed the ground under its giant feet. Sesshōmaru had only… ‘convinced’ the giant demon into giving the three of us a ride just as the sun had gotten half-way through its descent, and now as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, we had travelled far with it’s help. Sure, it wasn’t the most discrete method of travel, but I suppose being a great demon meant that you could travel whichever way your necessity demanded. According to this magnificent display of thundering steps that would probably alert Inuyasha long before reached him, Sesshōmaru was in quite the rush.

I looked over the muscular red-skinned shoulder I found myself on and saw the ground lurch away from me as the ogre scaled the mountain quickly. His claws loosened the rocks as he released his grip, and a huge chunk of the mountain tumbled down the cliff-face and shattered the wooden hut that had been built into the side of it and had somehow luckily escaped the ogre’s foot. With another foot digging into the mountainside, his back straightening as the demon’s other foot found the flat ground of the mountaintop, my sight was no longer obscured.

We were heading towards a human village in the distance; the inhabitants of which scurried away from the threatening sight the giant ogre made. With the glowing red eyes, a full set of teeth larger than I was, and the hulking mass that was the muscular body of the demon… I couldn’t blame them. From this distance they looked like ants. Small specks that scattered slowly as the ogre lifted his foot from the mountain, yet again causing an avalanche of large rocks, and destroyed the house that had the misfortune of falling under his shadow. We were still on the outskirts: where only a few man-made buildings stood, at least a few strides away from the village, when I spotted a few figures running _towards_ the demon instead of away.

One of them had long white hair and wore the red Robe of the Fire-Rat, distinctly sticking out from the monk-dressed human, weird-clothed human, and the small kitsune* held in the arms of the young woman. The ogre seemed to notice this as well, and his large head tilted towards the group. As putrid air was pushed from the large demon’s lungs, I immediately covered my nose with the sleeve of my kimono, rethinking my decision to sit on the demon’s shoulder instead of its head. Even sitting with Sesshōmaru and the imp on the other shoulder would’ve been better: seeing as dog demons had a greater sense of smell and all.

“Sesshōmaru!” Inuyasha growled out his half-brother’s name as they came to a stop beneath some stairs that led up to another house on the outskirts of the village.

However, the acknowledgement prompted the full-blooded demon to leap from his seat. The humans, who had stopped behind Inuyasha, were able to back up fast enough. Inuyasha wasn’t as quick. The moment the great demon touched the ground, a spherical cloud of poison catching the half-demon before he thought to jump away.

“Slow as usual, huh, Inuyasha?” A large black spot was left behind as the poison wore off, the ground sizzling slightly at its potency.

Coughing, the younger brother sputtered, “Damn you, Sesshōmaru! Whaddya want?”

“Don’t ask me stupid questions. I’m here for the Tessaiga.”                          

His hand went to the hilt at his side, his stance widening, “You still haven’t given up?!”

The humans and kitsune that had dodged Sesshōmaru’s attack were hiding behind some large rocks just outside my hearing, and while I saw them peek out over their cover, I could only see their mouths whisper words to each other.

“Draw your sword, Inuyasha.” His voice changed, for once having the slightest amusement in something that wasn’t a command, which usually were the only sentences that came from him, “Or will you hand it over quietly?”

“Shaddup! This time, I’ll cut off more than your arm!”

With that, Inuyasha leapt forwards as he drew the Tessaiga from its sheath. The blade transformed immediately, making it seem impossible that such a broad blade could come from the slender wood that housed the normally slim katana. He swung down the sword, the blade cutting through the ground and displacing rocks easily as Sesshōmaru sidestepped the attack without issue.

The half-demon seemed to struggle to move the blade effectively, heaving it around with two hands as if it was some sort of club, and the strikes that followed the initial attack all met the same fate: being easily dodged by Sesshōmaru’s movements. It was sad to see: the Tessaiga being wielded as nothing more than a stick when it was so much more.

“Inuyasha… You still haven’t mastered the use of the Tessaiga.”

“W-what?! Cut your jokes, damn you!”

And he didn’t even realize it? I scoffed, shaking my head at the half-demon’s mixture of anger and surprise.

As Inuyasha took another overhead swing at Sesshōmaru, the great demon easily intercepted the move by grabbing onto his half-brother’s wrist and stopping the blade’s motion mid-flail.

“Such pitiful swordsmanship…” Sesshōmaru’s poison claws flared up, coating his hand in the corrosive energy as he continued talking while the flesh started melting off of Inuyasha’s wrist, “You can’t handle that large sword.”

Inuyasha’s pained growl was overpowered by Sesshōmaru’s words, “If you don’t release the Tessaiga, your arm will rot and fall off.”

…Was Sesshōmaru… toying with Inuyasha? I never had the chance to watch the great demon fight before, except for a moment or two during the war, but his actions here… are clearly prolonging the fight. He had more than enough strength to rip the sword out of his grasp with his human arm… Did he not want to win the sword by a human hand?

But even then, with the slow movements of Inuyasha, he would have been able to end this fight quickly… Did he want to have a complete victory over his half-brother? He certainly was commenting on the half-demon’s weakness and shortcomings every chance that he got… Did he do that with all his enemies?

…I doubt it.

This was probably a grudge match against Inuyasha.

Although, it seemed like he wanted to beat him using the bare minimum of his power. Was that so that he didn’t waste his energy on someone beneath him, which could be applied to all opponents? Or was it just simple arrogance that made him toy with his prey before incapacitating it?

I let out a sigh. The more time I spent studying the enigmatic man, I received more questions than I did answers. How infuriating.

“Before that happens…!” Inuyasha reached up with his other hand, grabbing the hilt of the blade whilst ignoring the rotting of his arm, and pushed him back with a forceful leap.

Well, that’s what would’ve happened, had Sesshōmaru not seen it coming. It was obvious who was still in control of this fight: the elder brother’s hand was still tightly clenched around the younger’s wrist, and with the sword now in between the two demons, it was impossible to get much force out of a swing. Sesshōmaru was merely moving backwards with Inuyasha because it still worked to his advantage. The half-demon was no threat to him at all… how in the world did Inuyasha managed to strike that lucky blow which took Sesshōmaru’s arm?

“I’ll slit you in half!”

Once the great demon touched the ground, he left it immediately. Jumping upwards, Sesshōmaru created a poison whip out of his energy, striking at Inuyasha from above and expertly fooling him into blocking with the sword. After the second strike, the whip pulled the Tessaiga from the half-demon’s grasp and sent it flying. With an precise maneuvering, Sesshōmaru landed beside it as it embedded itself into the ground and regained it’s ragged-looking katana form.

“Damn!” Ignoring Inuyasha, Sesshōmaru reached out with his left hand, the sword’s barrier spell remained inactive as it was pulled from the ground by the full-blooded demon, “What?!”

With a skillful arc of the sword, the Tessaiga transformed once more and as Sesshōmaru spun around (lifting the blade easily with one hand) a devastating attack was directed towards Inuyasha. A large burst of energy came from the sword, and as the dust that had been stirred up from the destructive force settled, a deep groove in the rocky earth had been carved out. The straight line bridged the gap between the brothers, but Inuyasha seemed to be unharmed: his dodging instincts not failing him this time.

“I shall show you, Inuyasha… The Tessaiga’s true power.” He turned his head slightly, and called out to his vassal, “Jaken.”

“Yes, my lord! I shall summon all the mountain demons!” The ogre moved, much to my confusion, and turned towards the forested ridge beside us, “Come forth!”

The giant demon lifted his hand before smacking it down against the ridge, the loud thundering sound rattling my bones as I turned my head to watch Sesshōmaru with a confused expression. He had turned his attention towards the forested ridge, facing away from the fight he had lost interest in now that he had the Tessaiga in his grasp. As the ridge he and Inuyasha’s group were only reached half the height of the giant ogre, the full moon easily illuminated their faces for my eyes.

Sesshōmaru’s expression hadn’t changed much, his serious features perhaps having a little smugness hiding underneath as he waited for whatever was coming from the ogre’s strike. Inuyasha’s group had variations of the same expression of shock, also waiting to see what was coming. As my eyes flickered back and forth between the half-brothers, I noted that while Sesshōmaru’s default emotion was indifference, Inuyasha’s seemed to be anger.

A few moments after the giant ogre lifted his hand from the wooded ridge, hundreds of lesser demons streamed out from where the strike had landed. They flew into the air, blotting out the starry sky behind them as they fled from their hiding spot.

“Watch me well, Inuyasha, and you will see the power to slay a hundred demons in one stroke… The true power of the Tessaiga!”

As the Tessaiga glowed fiercely with the energy that pulsed through it, Sesshomaru cut through the air easily. Instead of the sole destructive path of energy, this slash unleashed three. They ripped apart the ground in a flash of light and continued up to the demons. In only a moment, all of the demons that had been summoned by the ogre had been disintegrated with not even a trace of dust left behind in the wake of such awesome power. When the light dulled, the fearsome ‘claw’ of Tessaiga having raked through its enemies, the devastation left behind was enough to pull another low whistle from my lips. Not only had all the demons been destroyed, but the three deep grooves that started in the ground in front of Sesshōmaru had grown and merged together to cut a deep gorge into the mountain. The revealed ground burned in the aftermath, glinting like blackened cinders in the full moon’s light.

“Unfortunately, this supreme sword does not have the power to choose its owner!”

And, as both the ogre and Sesshōmaru turned back to Inuyasha, who was still staring with wide eyes at the destruction caused, I began clapping from my seat. The lord’s actions were nothing more than a demonstration, after all. The spectacle that this fight had devolved into deserved some applause, as all spectacles did.

The sound travelled far in the hushed air as everyone processed what had come from the Tessaiga, and as a result, not only did it draw the attention of Inuyasha, but also the hiding humans who had crept closer to the sight from their cover.

“Huh!? Who are you?!”

I laughed, content not to answer his question as he brazenly pointed his finger at me. I leapt off the ogre, making sure to keep my distance from Sesshōmaru (from watching that example, I certainly did _not_ want to get caught in that attack), and landed softly on the ground. Letting my breath chill the air as I saw the monk approaching through the cover of trees. I had a feeling that the _real_ fight was going to start soon, now that Sesshōmaru had gotten his display of overwhelming power out of the way.

 “Do you realize now that a half-demon like you can never master it?” Sesshōmaru pointed the Tessaiga at Inuyasha, his eyes making note of my presence briefly before returning to the half-demon, “Become a victim of the Tessaiga: it’s a fitting end for you.”

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort in anger, but he was cut off physically by the human monk stepping in front of him, “I can’t stay quiet any longer. Enough of this silly sibling rivalry.”

I suppressed a laugh as the rest of Inuyasha’s group gathered behind the monk, and I quietly made my way around the opposing forces until eventually I had a side view of the action. The monk and half-demon (which I now realized was an odd pairing) fought briefly over who was squaring off against the waiting Sesshōmaru, and as a result I remained unnoticed. As I pulled Katashi’s bow from over my shoulder, I waited, too, as all attentions drawn towards the bickering pair before the ogre started to move forward.

“Sesshōmaru, leave this monk to me!” Jaken called out, bringing attention to his form atop the shoulder of the hulking demon, “There’s no sense in wasting your time with him.”

“That’s true.”

With his lord’s agreement, Jaken’s voice excitedly commanded the ogre, “Onward! Smash them!”

Well, this certainly wasn’t how I expected a battle between hateful brothers was going to play out. 

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  ***PLEASE NOTE***

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**Kitsune:** A race of demons that are foxes that have very long lifespans and develop human intelligence and supernatural powers. Infamous tricksters.

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O

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Ooooh Inuyasha and friends are heeeeeere~

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

How will Nozomi participate in this battle?

THE FACE-OFF WILL CONTINUE!

Will Jaken and Nozo actually call each other by their names? (Pfft. Not likely)

Will Nozo figure out Naraku's identity?

What will happen when Nozo interacts with the Inuyasha and friends gang?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	12. Claws of Ice

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 12: Claws of Ice

The monk had a hole in his hand.

The _human_ monk had a _hole_ in his hand, and anything in front of where he pointed his palm was being sucked into the vortex his hand had somehow been hiding this whole time. Currently, that was the giant ogre (which the imp was on) and Sesshōmaru, who had sensed the danger and jumped back before digging the Tessaiga into the ground to act as an anchor.

To be honest, it looked ridiculous.

This human, only an ant compared to the giant ogre, had created a vortex powerful enough to force said ogre to cling to the mountain with his claws and feet to resist its pull. But, even such drastic measures weren’t enough: half of the ogre’s arm had already been sucked into the man’s hand… and because the monk seemed unfazed by such a thing, the vortex probably couldn’t be plugged by large quantities of materials. With every second that passed, the ogre’s face got closer and closer to the man’s palm: the hulking beast unable to pull himself away. Even Sesshōmaru seemed to be struggling with holding his footing…

“N-no! Stop!”

…But, seeing as the imp was the only one in danger so far, I felt no need to step in and stop the monk’s attack just yet. Though, I did make sure to move some of my energy into the ground beneath the monk, as well as coating the ground in a thin layer of energy as an added precaution. I would be enough to draw on some protective measures, should the humans get too close too fast, or if I needed to make a quick attack and wasn’t close enough to strike with the energy within my body. I wasn’t planning on using Misdirection for this band of humans, so it was much easier to spread my energy across my Range when I didn’t need a lot of it stockpiled to form the sphere of Misdirection.

Before the imp was sucked in and my interference was necessary, Sesshōmaru reached into his kimono and retrieved an orange sphere that had black markings on it. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long to see what the object did, as Sesshōmaru threw it up into the air. After a moment, when it reached the height of its arc and started falling back towards the ground, the object spawned several… wasps? They had red eyes, which was usually an indicator for the demonic energy that resided in demons, black pincers and three legs for each side of its body. The off-white coloured head section turned into a purple section, where a long and short set of leathery wings sprouted, and then the body of the wasp turned yellow as it curved into the large red stinger.

The horrible buzzing sound of the wings beating the air rapidly (though it looked like they were only vibrating) only multiplied as more and more wasps came from what I assumed to be the nest of the creatures. Strangely enough, the bugs flew directly into the vortex-palm of the monk. While my eyebrow rose in confusion, I noted that when there seemed to be a good swarm of them buzzing in the air (which seemed to be around a hundred or so) the hive stopped producing more demons. But since they were flying into the vortex and full-speed now, the hive had its work cut out for it by just replenishing the bugs lost.

After a minute of this strange display, the monk closed his vortex-palm (which he did by wrapping prayer beads around the hole) and wobbled backwards before falling down to his knee.

Poison.

The wasps were poisonous, and it seemed that even being sucked into a wind vortex didn’t stop the poison from entering the human’s body.

…Now where did Sesshōmaru get such a thing?

With such a dangerous technique, if Sesshōmaru had known about it beforehand, he would’ve deployed the wasps first to prevent the monk from using it. And if the imp knew about it, there was no way he would volunteer to face the human. Since I had been travelling with the great demon for a few days beforehand, I knew for certain that he hadn’t acquired the hive in that time: we never stopped walking unless it was to deal with foolish bandits who tried to attack us. Even then, Sesshōmaru dispatched them quickly.

So, the hive had to have come from before he arrived with the human arm… had the same person who gave him that arm and jewel shard also given him the hive? It was only speculation, and though I had a feeling that the jewel shard and the hive had come from the same person, I would have to think about what _that_ meant some other time.

With the monk’s wind quieted, his voice reached my ears, “Inuyasha, I leave it to you…!”

“Miroku!”

“What’s wrong, Miroku?!”

The young woman and Inuyasha’s concerned cries went unanswered as the wasps continued to close in. The half-demon jumped in front of the incapacitated monk to cut a few of the wasps down with his claws as the ogre’s carcass fell to the ground. The tremor that accompanied the fall of such a beast failed to imbalance all of us, besides the human woman, and to my dismay, the imp seemed to have survived the monk’s vortex as he jumped off the dead demon’s head.

The woman crouched beside the monk as the little kitsune joined Inuyasha in slaying some wasps with foxfire. Luckily, my kimono could now help me against such weak flames… But the skin that the red silk failed to cover would still be highly susceptible to the fox’s fire. Though, the demon accompanying Inuyasha was quick to flee, as when many wasps replaced the two that his fire had taken out, he dropped to all fours and started running from the relatively slow nuisances.

“Shippo!” The monk called out, his body impulsively moving towards the little demon before stopping as he winced in pain.

“Miroku, wait here, I’ll look for an antidote!” The strangely dressed woman ran towards the large building at the top of the stairs and called out over her shoulder, “Inuyasha! Help Miroku!”

After slicing up a few more wasps, the younger silver-haired brother looked back to the human, “Hey, Miroku! Do your share!”

With the monk’s silence answering his words, the half-demon _finally_ seemed to recognize that his companion had been incapacitated. It seemed that when Inuyasha fought, his blood rushed to his head and cancelled out all the senses that were supposed to help him – common sense included. The only reason he was surviving this long was because Sesshōmaru was only fighting him with the bare minimum required to beat the half-demon, and the same could probably be said for their last fight as well if this is the level of skill Inuyasha used in his battles.

My blue eyes flickered towards the stairs, watching as the human woman disappeared into the large home, before they returned to Sesshōmaru. The wasp nest had stopped producing more demons, and a whole swarm of dead insects lay in between the two brothers: some of the leathery wings were still twitching as if the carcass had not yet fully processed that its life had ended.

Did the hive sense that the monk’s vortex was no longer in effect…?

“That’s enough.”

The elder brother stepped forward, raising the mighty Tessaiga in his borrowed hand just as Inuyasha’s claws dug into his own flesh. As the younger brother used the blood to convey his energy into a ranged claw attack, forcing Sesshōmaru to block with the Tessaiga instead of attack, he grabbed onto the monk and pulled him behind the carcass of the ogre as the kitsune joined them.

“Tch. Pointless.” The lord stepped forwards, his golden eyes meeting mine for an instant and I shrugged delicately in response before he faced his foe again.

The great demon walked right up to the ogre, in no hurry to finish the fight, and I trailed behind him carefully. I was unable to see the trio hiding behind the ogre, but now that the monk had been taken care of and Inuyasha was clearly marked as Sesshōmaru’s quarry (and killing him myself would probably be dishonouring the will I had promised to upkeep) the only one left that was a threat was the kitsune. But, having seen him run more than fight, I doubt it would take much to scare him off or end his life. Seeing as how the little demon didn’t look to have any training in battle, it would be easy.

So, I kept my gaze on the house and slowly made my way in the direction I had seen the woman running off in.

She had made no effort to help against the insects and seemed useless in a fight, but the strange clothes she wore stood out in my mind. Priestesses didn’t wear such things, unless I had missed out on an _incredible_ amount of changes during my years removed from human civilization. And even if I had, she would’ve used her spiritual powers by now. Perhaps she was simply an apothecary or healer and was with the group to treat the human monk. Potion-makers were always a little… _weird._ That would explain the odd garments she wore, and she _did_ mention getting an antidote for him… Had they encountered the wasp-demons before?

…No, they couldn’t have. They had all looked surprised by the appearance and behaviour of the insects. So, the girl probably knew of several different remedies that treated the symptoms of similar poisons, and she figured a suitable antidote was among them. While the poison of a wasp-demon was more lethal than a regular wasp, there was a high chance of the poison affecting the same systems, and therefore the same remedy would be required… though with a larger dosage and needed to be quickly applied.

A flash of light drew my attention away from the human woman, and I refocused my attention on the silver-haired demon.

Tessaiga’s power ripped through the ogre’s carcass, leaving only a steaming mound of unidentifiable flesh in the slash’s wake. As the intense concentration of energy Tessaiga unleashed at its wielder’s command faded, the cause of the bright light, the moon softly glinted off the blade’s steel as Sesshōmaru looked on. The slight hue that the moonlight granted the land made the shredded remains of the ogre blend into the ground’s grey appearance, and if not for the veins that coiled around the raised pile like unearthed roots, I would mistake it for upturned earth.

In the morning, it would have a _very_ different look, I mused.

Red cloth emerged from the fleshy rubble, the white hair of Inuyasha following soon after as clumps of ogre flesh peeled away from his body. While I had figured that the strike had been unavoidable, it seemed Inuyasha’s feral instincts had allowed him to escape the attack, dodging into the gaps between the multiple fatal slashes that radiated out from the Tessaiga Sesshōmaru wielded. The half-demon’s friends had yet to appear from the aftermath of Tessaiga’s strike, and while I was tempted to believe that they had perished, Inuyasha’s survival likely meant the survival of the others as well.

Sesshōmaru’s laughter, which I thought I’d never hear, briefly broke the quiet nighttime air with its cold and condescending tone, “You can run and hide… That would be expected from someone like _you_. But living in this world only adds to your disgrace.”

“Will you shut up?!” Inuyasha stood, freeing himself from the giant ogre as he faced his half-brother yet again, “Getting a hold of one sword sure loosened your mouth!”

A mischievous smirk crossed over my face at the half-demon’s observation. He wasn’t wrong. The lord seemed to be quite happy to speak his mind when facing his younger brother, even if most of what he said had such an air of superiority laced through them that it was hard to stop myself from rolling my eyes at the pettiness of it all. While I regarded Sesshōmaru to be quite the effective fighter, making no unnecessary movements and always aiming to end the fight (which would be a generous term to describe the one-sided massacre of bandits I witnessed before), it seemed that his brother was an exception to this. The reason was clear: the elder brother wished to make an example of his kin, and therefore prove his superiority. And against his brother, who his father had gifted Tessaiga, proving how inferior the half-demon was compared to himself was probably just as important as getting the actual Tessaiga.

…I’m glad I was a single child.

“And lemme tell you something… I’m not that easy to kill!” Inuyasha leapt towards the older dog demon, slashing at him with claws that were easily blocked by the Tessaiga.

Sesshōmaru retaliated in kind, jumping upwards while raising the Tessaiga high into the air before swinging the blade down harshly. His body followed the strike, and with the added strength of having his weight behind the blow, if Inuyasha didn’t dodge in the few seconds before the metal contacted his skin, he would die.

Surprisingly, he didn’t move, and instead seemed to be waiting to intercept the incoming attack.

At the last possible moment, Inuyasha’s hands went to his waist. Releasing a black sheath from its place in the folds of the Fire-Rat Robe, Inuyasha brought it up over his head just in time to protect him from his stolen sword. Even with the power behind the blade, it failed to cut through the sheath, and therefore, was unable to cut through the half-demon.

“Heesh! My lord wastes nothing on sentiment, that’s for sure!”

The movement of the ogre-rubble drew my gaze away from the duel between brothers, and the smirk instantly left my face as the sight of a green imp breaking out of the flesh pile registered. Cursing my rotten luck at the imp’s survival, my blue eyes hardened into a glare as I stared down the demon.

“Even more than the monk’s power… Lord Sesshōmaru’s disregard for ally or foe when he kills is a hundred-fold more frightening.” The imp sighed, “I fear for the future…”

My eyebrows curved into an arc at the imp’s words, for once not showering his beloved lord with praise… especially since he was in earshot of said lord. But, as the great demon was occupied with fighting his brother, the imp probably felt that he would be far too distracted to hear his remarks. With a glance towards the two brothers, the younger now having a defence against the elder’s expertly guided swings, it seemed to be true. Or, at least, the lord seemed too preoccupied to punish his vassal for such blithe comments.

“You…!”

Turning back to the sound of the imp’s shrill voice, I found the forms of the monk and the kitsune emerging from the rubble. Said monk had the little demon’s head in his hand, squishing him down into the flesh as he sent a heated glare into the back of the imp’s head. Little green fingers clawed uselessly into the slick remains, unable to look back at the human and unable to escape… And so, his frantic gaze caught my own.

“H-hey! Half-breed!” He struggled to form the words as the monk pressed his weight onto the demon, and I sent a wicked grin the imp’s way before removing my eyes from the scene casually, “How dare-mmghf!”

“Something really bothers me.” The monk had effectively silenced the imp and his voice dipped into a threateningly low pitch, “We’ve never met, yet it’s as though you had those insects just to trap me. Now how could that be?”

“Well… err…” Sesshōmaru’s vassal seemed to have been given back his voice – a poor decision if there ever was one.

“Miroku!”

Fire blazed in the corner of my vision, and I reluctantly returned my gaze to the imp’s direction as the monk yelled out in surprise. The kitsune darted from my vision, disappearing down the slope made from a combination of the ogre’s remains and the flow of the land. The monk was nowhere to be seen.

The imp soon followed, laughing loudly as the staff with two heads held in his hands, “A weak monk and a puny fox-child… I, Jaken, can handle you alone!”

With a slow sigh, I turned my bored ice-blue gaze back to the fight between brothers. Idly wondering if the large house had a different entrance than the one that was in view that the woman could’ve taken, I listened to the banter exchanged between the dog demons as much as they exchanged blows.

“Do you honestly believe that the _scabbard_ will defeat the _blade_?” Sesshōmaru was bearing down on said sheath, sparks of energy scattering across the wood as Inuyasha dug into the ground to resist the sword.

“This is no _ordinary_ sheath, you know!” Inuyasha glared up at his brother, pushing the sword from its sheath before swiping at the demon with his claws and then blocking another swipe of the Tessaiga, “I can split your head with it, at least!”

A smirk passed through the impassive face of the great demon, “Then show me!” unleashing of barrage of strikes against Inuyasha that sent him stumbling backwards. With a quick step closing the distance between the brothers, Sesshōmaru took advantage of Inuyasha’s imbalance to slide the Tessaiga under the sheath and flick it out of his hands with a quick twist of his wrist. It clattered to the ground, ringing in the last moments of Inuyasha’s life, as his only defence was too far to be of use in Sesshōmaru’s impending attack. At the half-demon’s low growl, Sesshōmaru raised his sword.

“Or must I imagine it… after you’ve died?”

The hairs on my neck bristled as I sensed sacred energy in my Range. In a flash, my eyes found the strange girl standing on the top of the stairs, gaze locked on Sesshōmaru as the arrow notched to her bow glowed with a soft light. Quickly calculating its path, noting that it was trained not on the great demon himself but the Tessaiga, my breath clouded the air.

Guiding the energy implanted in the ground, I shaped the gathered energy into a thick line a few feet in front of Sesshōmaru. Drawing in as much energy as I could into the area as I waited for the right moment, my hand reached over my shoulder and pulled an arrow from the quiver. When I brought up Katashi’s bow, aiming it towards the _priestess_ , my heart clenched as I fitted the arrow onto the bowstring and pulled it taught. The line across my chest seared painfully as the weird _priestess_ gathered her sacred energy at the sharp point of her arrow, and I couldn’t stop the flashes of memories that pulled my brow downward in rage.

_A pink jewel in one hand, a sword in the other…_

I steadied my breath, and even as my hands trembled I knew my aim was true.

_The slick sound of several footsteps falling on soft snow, following my silent steps…_

Enough energy had been collected, and it swirled inside the perimeter I created, waiting for my next command.

_Blood, staining my hands. Ruby drops falling from the sharp curve of ice..._

Why had she not fired her arrow yet? What was that foolish woman waiting for- Was she still aiming?

_The scabbard of a discarded sword falling quietly, sacred energy pulsing behind me-_

Energy rushed to my fingertips, but I ignored the feeling as I released the arrow into the air at the same moment as the human did. At the same time, the energy stored under the earth pushed upwards, changing into ice when it touched the air. Densely packed ice rose swiftly, creating a wall that obscuring the view of the brother’s fighting on the other side with its glossy exterior. But, of course, I could see through my own creation clearly. As an afterthought, I commanded my energy to allow Sesshōmaru to do the same.

The sacred arrow shot into the top of the Ice Wall, another of my abilities, and while the force of the impact created cracks to appear in the immediate area the sacred energy had nothing to purify. The few  chips of ice that fell from the as a result of the arrow embedding itself into the thick ice did not help the arrow reach any closer to the energy that flowed through the middle of the structure (enabling me to control who could see through my wall, and also helped me move said wall around when necessary). As the arrow’s energy dissipated, successfully blocked by my wall, my own arrow found its target.

She had moved slightly, out of surprise for the sudden appearance of my Ice Wall, and as she looked for my presence she had unwittingly saved herself from an arrow to the heart. Blood stained her white garment, and as she cried out in pain, clutching at the arrow embedded in her flesh as she collapsed to the ground. I was halfway up the stairs.

“KAGOME!”

The wall I created sunk back into the ground, returning most of the energy that had been used to create it back into my Range. My sandals clicked against the stone steps, my pace unhurried as I went to finish off my prey. The sound echoed strangely through the air after the half-demon’s outcry, and I was keenly aware of how the clashing of sheath and claws against metal hastened. But I ignored it, my mind bent around the wounded _priestess_ as I left Sesshōmaru to deal with the anger of his brother. My energy followed me as I left the area I had initially spread my energy throughout, and it easily kept up with me as I reached the top of the stairs.

The girl had moved back from the top of the stairs, a trail of blood marking her journey to the exterior wall of the private estate. Her back was pressed against the wall, brown eyes widened and glossy with fear as I approached. The arrow had sunk into her frame around the joint of the arm and shoulder, pinning the darkening green fabric of her clothes to her. The red colour of blood slowly stained the remaining white portion of the garment as it slowly made its way to the ground. Her long black hair had already begun to stick together unnaturally as some strands drifted from behind her body to curving down towards her chest as she attempted to ready another arrow.

“I applaud your tenacity, but did you really think I’d let you?”

In a moment, the distance between us disappeared as I ripped the bow from her hands. The arrow she was holding fell uselessly to the floor as I quickly cut the bowstring and watched as the wood sprang free from it’s forcibly curved formation. Throwing it to the ground, I then turned my attention back to her. She whimpered, shrinking away from me as my clawed hand approached the string that held the quiver to her back. The sharpened ice that had attached itself to my fingertips, adorning them as the claws I could never have naturally, cut the rope easily and I wrenched the arrows from her body. Throwing the quiver towards the steps, some of the arrows scattering down the stonework as they were jostled from their container… I ensured that my prey was defenseless.

“Now, little priestess…” I pressed my hand against her wounded shoulder and pushed her further into the wall, eliciting a pained cry from her, “I don’t think it was a very wise idea to try and get in the middle of a fight between demons. Do you?”

She didn’t answer, her body quivering under my fingers. But, to my amusement, the fear in her eyes was quickly disguised with anger as her lips drew themselves into a firm line. Luckily, it seemed that the girl knew she was outmatched, and made no move to escape, though her eyes searched her surroundings rapidly.

What in the world was this girl thinking, trying to interfere with Sesshōmaru… when she was only this scared mess of a human? Did she believe that the great demon would simply let her intrude on his without consequence? Did this little girl believe that she could stand up to demons when she was this _weak_? What a joke of a priestess.

My hand moved from her shoulder and marked her neck with her own blood. My ice-claws pressed against the soft flesh, and she flinched briefly before her muscles stilled and she looked at me an even gaze. I opened my mouth to taunt her, but I was unable to form any words as I sensed the familiar energy through the girl’s spiritual aura.

I released my grasp on her neck, forcing her chin upwards as my eyes traced the beaded necklace that rested against her pale skin. With my free hand, I gingerly lifted the string. It had a weight to it, the cause of it hidden by her strange clothes… but it didn’t matter. I knew _exactly_ what was attached to the necklace. I waited to comment on my discovery until the soft pink jewel was revealed from the fabric that covered it. Shards had been stuck back together into what was a pitiful fragment of the jewel. Gripping her jaw tightly, I lowered her face and scoffed at the defiant look that had chased away her fear.

“It seems like you’ve been busy, _priestess_.” I hummed, eyeing the jewel that now rested above the fabric, “But since you haven’t been a lot of fun as my prey, I’ll let you go if you answer my question~”

“…What do you want?”

“Oh! She speaks!” I grinned wickedly, “ _Wonderful_.”

Before I could answer my question, the approaching energy of the half-demon enraptured my attention. My eyes swivelled to my right, and as I was met with the sight of a furious Inuyasha leaping towards me with his claws outstretched. His golden eyes clashed against my blue ones, and I took a half-step back as I prepared to defend myself against the unexpected foe. I gathered my energy with only seconds to spare and readied myself to stop the half-demons fast advance offensively with Arctic Assault’s ice spikes. With the short amount of time to prepare, they’d only be thin spikes, but with a large amount they should be able to-

Such thoughts proved unnecessary, as with a blink I found myself staring at the back of Sesshōmaru. His silver hair flared out behind him as it caught up with the great demon’s fast movement, the silk of his kimono acting similarly as it billowed from his body before settling again quickly. The fur wrapped around his right arm didn’t seem to be under the same effect. A moment after I my eyes registered his figure, a swift flare of wind swept over me as the lord’s movement was noticed by nature itself. My own black strands drifted backwards, with a strange gentle curl that mixed oddly with the moment. The sleeves of my red kimono fluttered briefly before falling still, and the sound of claws scraping against metal brought the elongated seconds to an end.

“I-Inuyasha!”

In a fluid movement, Sesshōmaru traded the blow with one of his own, his poisoned fist impacting the half-demon’s cheek with enough force to send him back down the hill and skid across the scarred ground. The lord turned, watching the effect of his punch with an unreadable face. Looking up at Sesshōmaru, I noticed that he had received a scratch on his right cheek: the shallow cut running down across both Great Demon Markings found on his skin. His golden eyes met my gaze, then travelled beyond me for a moment before returning.

“If you have the time to play with your prey, Lord Sesshōmaru,” The lord’s full name rolled off my tongue strangely, “at least make sure they can’t escape.”

My unimpressed tone and pointed look were answered with silence. Silence, the narrowing of the lord’s eyes, and the hint of a scowl that somehow spoke volumes. He lingered for a moment longer, long enough for him to see the slanted grin that painted my face at getting the lord to express his displeasure – silently or not – yet again.

“Inuyasha! Sesshōmaru has a fragment of the Sacred Jewel in his left arm!” The woman’s words had Sesshōmaru sending a sharp glare towards her, his face returning to its usual stoic look that only allowed his eyes to reveal his closely guarded thoughts.

As Inuyasha got back on his feet, Sesshōmaru was drawn back into his battle and flew down the hill again with great speed.

“I thought we were bonding!” I called out to him, my voice dipping into a playful whine that had me chuckling under my breath as the lord gave no indication of hearing me.

With a devious smile splaying across my lips, I returned to my own prey, “So, back to the question that will have your life _safely_ back in your own hands!”

“Call me curious, but I’m just _dying_ to know…” I lifted the necklace with a finger, running my fingertip under the beaded string as I searched her brown eyes, “Are the rumours true? Did _a human_ shatter the jewel?”

There was no such rumour. Or at least, I hadn’t heard a single word about _how_ the jewel was shattered. Which, of course, made me _insanely_ curious as to what sort of fool would break such a powerful thing. A human was the safest bet, as no demon would ever consider breaking the jewel and dividing the power they could receive.

Getting the girl to answer that question was more interesting than fighting her, at least. So, I watched her reaction carefully for any hint as to what kind of information she had on such a thing. But, she didn’t seem to want to answer my question and instead asked one of her own.

“What does it matter to you?”

Did this girl not realize what sort of danger she was in? Or did she just not care?

“Hmm… Now, something doesn’t sound right with that.” I tilted my head to the side, pretending to think, “Oh! I know!” My fingers wrapped around her neck again, squeezing enough to make it hard for her to breath, “I don’t think you’re the one asking the questions here. Too bad!”

Her hands immediately tried to pry my fingers from her throat, and even though my strength wasn’t much for a demon, compared to a human… Well, let’s just say the girl and her own feeble strength could struggle as much as she wanted.

“Now, answer the question while you still can. Or, better yet, while you can still help that monk.” Her eyes widened at the mention of the poisoned human, and her brown orbs flickered over to the left. She strained herself, trying to look over the slope to where the monk and kitsune were supposed to be.

I laughed, “Did you forget already? You’re human ‘friend’ is dying, and if you don’t answer my question, I’ll make sure your antidote doesn’t make it in time.”

I loosened my grip on her throat, and the moment I did her chest heaved as she took in big gasps of air.

“I-it was an accident.” She stuttered, and I wondered if I had squeezed the human’s throat too much, “I shattered the jewel.”

A moment passed. Two. The girl’s throat slipped from my hand, and I laughed cruelly at the guilty look that flashed across the human’s face. I waved her off, shooing her down the hill with the large bag that she scrambled to retrieve while favouring the shoulder with an arrow still protruding from it as I tried to control my laughter. She stumbled over the hill, weaponless, and I found that I couldn’t stop the laughter that jostled from my lips. What had started out as simply making fun of the girl, quickly turned into a spiteful sound as anger once again seized my heart. And it made me angrier when I considered that I, _perhaps_ , wasn’t as well put together as I hoped. But I ignored the frightening sentiment for now, suppressing it into the deepest reaches of my mind as I let the anger consume me.

“Of _course,_ it would be priestess’s fault! They think they can do **_whatever_** they want! And they simply cannot _resist_ dabbling in things that don’t concern them at all. How could it _not_ be a priestess’s fault?!"

I dispelled the energy around my fingertips, and I plucked the sharpened ice from my fingers with a focus that only frustration could bring out. Short, quick movements that soon rid myself of the foolish things also shattered them into pieces as I threw them harshly at the ground.

My de-clawed hands pressed against my obi, and as I felt the small pouch containing the jewel shard I had managed to keep hidden from the skilled eyes of the _priestess_ , I forced myself to calm down. Eventually, the anger that my features expressed faded. And as I came out of my rage, I was left on top of the hill, my breath coming and going at a closely regulated pace. The moon illuminated my figure and cast a light shadow on the ground before me, alone and _not_ sealed into a world I had to carve out for myself.

This was fine.

And it would continue to be fine, because I was working towards ridding myself of everything that had held me back for so long. My foolish actions, my foolish beliefs, my foolish… ‘friendship’… there was nothing that could change what I had done in the past. Right now, all that mattered was leaving it all behind and ensuring that it wouldn’t come back: which is what _Midoriko_ seemed to have a knack for.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my attention towards the ongoing battle happening at the bottom of the stairs. The demon-wasps had returned but stayed out of range of the warring brothers. Said brothers were entangled, Inuyasha gripping Sesshōmaru’s left arm tightly as the elder brother’s hand pierced through the younger’s back.

“If you have any last words,” Sesshōmaru removed his hand from the half-demon’s flesh, and the unnatural convulsion the latter’s body had as a response to the motion made my nose wrinkle, “I’ll hear them now.”

“What, Sesshōmaru? Haven’t you realized it yet?” Inuyasha’s voice wavered, and it was much quieter than his brother’s, “I’m taking my sword back!”

Inuyasha twisted away from Sesshōmaru, taking part of the human arm with him as he distanced himself from the great demon. Throwing the human hand on the ground, the Tessaiga was now back in Inuyasha’s hands. And, unfortunately, it seemed that the imp survived his encounter with the monk and kitsune, as he came running up to Sesshōmaru’s side. Seeing as Inuyasha seemed to be standing out of sheer willpower alone, I made my way down the stone steps as well.

By the time I approached, Inuyasha had fallen to his knee as the bladed tip of Tessaiga dug into the ground in a defensive position in front of the unconscious half-demon. It was still transformed, and as the foolish imp began to move towards the younger brother, Sesshōmaru’s warning stopped him from stepping too close.

“Not another step.”

While the imp dumbly looked back towards his lord, Inuyasha’s hands clenched around the Tessaiga and the energy that it sent out stopped _just_ short of the imp’s body.

“W-what?” The imp backed away, “B-but he didn’t even swing the blade!”

It seems that Sesshōmaru would be unable to acquire the Tessaiga this time around.

“You know what, imp? You’re right.” I came to a stop beside Sesshōmaru, watching as the little demon’s head swivelled back towards me, “Try it again: I’m sure it won’t happen _this_ time!”

“There’s no sense in staying if the Tessaiga is beyond my reach.” Sesshōmaru stepped away from Inuyasha, looking up into the air as his potent demonic energy swirled around him. The imp followed close behind.

“Hmm… are you sure? I think your vassal is more than capable of grabbing it in time.” My eyes drifted from Inuyasha’s form to the imp’s, seeing him angrily stomping his foot.

“You! Don’t think I’ve forgotten the way you ignored me!”

“Oh? But I thought a vassal of Lord Sesshōmaru would be able to handle ‘a weak monk and a puny fox-child’…” I grinned as the imp recognized the quoted words, “Am I wrong?”

“O-of course not! I, Jaken, could more than handle those two, but what a miserable half-breed like yourself doesn’t realize is that-!” Luckily, the imp’s lord stopped his pathetic blustering.

“Snow woman.”

I glanced over towards the audience waiting just out of earshot, “Yes, Lord Sesshy~?”

He paused at the nickname, almost seeming to contemplate whether or not he wanted to continue speaking, “…Stand closer if you do not wish to be left behind.”

Curious, I stepped forward, watching the lord’s face closely to see what was ‘close enough’ to not get left behind. Ignoring the imp’s squawking about how grateful I should be as his glorious lord allowed a half-breed such as myself to stand so close to him, I entered the swirling mass of energy surrounding Sesshōmaru. Judging on how far the energy swirled out behind the great demon, there seemed to be little room for moving around in whatever-

We were being lifted off the ground by the energy.

The lord’s energy appeared as some sort of cloud-like substance with flecks of energy sometimes revealing itself as sparks. The sparks of visible energy flew from our position down the trail of clouds like fireflies blinking lazily during a foggy night. The impressive feat of being able to fly, even more impressive when Sesshōmaru could do such a thing without even touching us, was ruined immediately when I sensed the imp’s smug look and the buzzing of the wasp-demons that followed.

“Well? Are you not _even more_ impressed by Lord Sesshōmaru’s abilities?” He let out a grating cackle, “For a half-breed like you, such things are far beyond your measly reach! Be grateful for this gracious showing of-”

“Do you know what happened to the last demon who called me a half-breed, imp?”

“What? Of course not! Like my lord, I don’t concern myself with half-breeds-!”

“Well, my desire to show you _exactly_ what happened to them is growing.” I sent the annoyance a grin that was far too threatening to be misconstrued as anything else, “And while I don’t think _you’d_ quite like the sight you’d make, I can assure you that _I will_.”

He swallowed loudly, backing up as far as he could, “Be quiet, half-” he cut himself off, “h-healer! Lord Sesshōmaru has no need for your constant babbling”!

I shrugged, but the grin didn’t leave my face.

“Hmph!” The imp was flustered, eyes darting everywhere by my figure until his gaze settled on the demon-wasps, “How far are these damned bugs going to follow us?!”

“Ultimately, they’re waiting for me to get rid of this arm. Their goal is the Sacred Jewel fragment.”

Sesshōmaru slipped his sleeve from his arm, revealing the left arm that I had attached. The human skin had started to extend towards the great demon’s body, the original place I had joined the two arms together had been hidden by the invading flesh. Not only that, but the two energies were visibly colliding with each other: the joint covered in what at first glance looked like flames. But, the flame-like appearance the energy took on was worrisome, as it meant that the energy had to escape the body to fight off the intruding energy instead of just being able to do so within the body… using the arm to transfer his energy to the Tessaiga to force it to transform probably incited this dire conflict of energies.

Well, I _did_ warn him.

 “I’m about to be eaten by this arm.” He spoke idly, as if it were a thing that didn’t concern him at all.

With his other hand, he tore off the arm, the skin that had been wrapping around the rest of his arm falling away easily as a result and threw the human arm in the air. Immediately the wasp-demons lurched forward to collect it, and once it was in the many-armed grasp of a wasp-demon, the swarm lost interest in us and flew off. Fixing his kimono, we changed directions as well, following the path the wasps led us.

It seems I’d find out who this mysterious benefactor is sooner than I thought.

* * *

O

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*phew*. I'm really on a roll with this!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Nozo finally meets Naraku?!

WILL SESSHY START CALLING HER BY HER NAME?

Will Jaken and Nozo actually call each other by their names? (Pfft. Still not likely)

Will Nozo figure out Naraku's identity?

What will happen as Nozo continues to hang out with Sesshy and his vassal?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3 


	13. Demon-of-Demons

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 13: Demon-of-Demons

It wasn't long until the head of the wasp swarm led the rest of the buzzing demons down towards the ground. While the journey itself was short, the amount of distance we had travelled by air was lengthy: it seems this benefactor was not interested in quickly discovering whether the lord had succeeded or not. As the bugs started their descent, Sesshōmaru followed suit, no longer watching their direction as his gaze lowered to the approaching ground. He could probably smell the demon by now – given that I could sense its energy.

It felt strangely familiar…

The forest engulfed us, and once again we were travelling under the green canopy of trees as the dog demon continued to deftly direct the three of us between the moss-covered trunks quickly. With roots and the grassy floor speeding beneath me (though it looked like the ground frequently gave way to a swampy consistency), I took the time to analyze the demonic energy closer. It was almost as if it was shifting, rolling over itself multiple times like the rushing water of a river. Tumbling, churning, flowing. Smoothly. Seamlessly. A never-ending current forcing it along, guided by stones that shape the river's bend. But it also… wasn't like that at all when I looked closer.

It felt like the energy was blended, the endless churning motion of it was simply a way to keep all of the separate parts smoothed into one. Like strings woven together to form cloth – separate, but united.

My head snapped forwards as Sesshomaru leapt from his energy cloud and disappeared through the trees. In his absence, the imp and I plummet the few remaining feet to the ground. To my surprise, the imp didn't land on his face – his lord had probably done this several times over the years, enough for even the green-skinned shrimp to have learned from it. Of course, my feet easily found the grassy ground as I could see Sesshōmaru stand behind a white-cloaked figure through the tree trunks.

"That Sesshōmaru… He failed."

There was no doubt in my mind as I laid eyes on the lumpy pelt of the cloak the demon wore: it wasn't just a single entity, it was multiple combined into one.

A demon-of-demons.

Admittedly, this one had managed to morph its energy into a more cohesive flow than the previous demon-of-demons. A result of being around for much longer, I assume. And that assumption was dangerous. I barely made it out with the most powerful priestess humans could ever produce: and that was a miscreant that had formed only days before. What sort of power did this one have, with what seems to be many years to master that disgusting form?

Said demon-of-demons sensed Sesshōmaru's presence behind him and immediately spun around while leaping away from the powerful lord. The baboon-faced mask was revealed as the miscreant knelt before lord Sesshōmaru just as I stepped out from the trees. The small glittering lake, reflecting the night sky in its calmness, had created the clearing in the forest and with that came a slightly softer earth underfoot. I warily stood behind the dog demon, using Sesshy to draw his attention so I could observe the interaction closely. What was this foul creature's motives? Why would another demon-of-demons plague these lands with its detestable being?

"Oh, Lord Sesshōmaru!" The baboon bowed to the lord as the imp approached Sesshōmaru's side.

"Naraku, you scoundrel!" The imp jutted a finger at the miscreant accusingly, "You tried to kill my lord with that arm!"

"I merely added a little something to retrieve the sacred jewel fragment I loaned him." He spoke to the imp, holding said shard delicately in his fingers as the wasp demons buzzed overhead.

"Quite well prepared, aren't you?" Sesshōmaru's voice was level, with only a slight hint of what I could pick out as anger amongst the contemplative tone.

"Preparation leads to a long life, Lord Sesshōmaru. But with your age, you know this…" His head tilted towards me, the eyeless baboon mask drawing my eyes as I tried to pick out the features of the demon inside, "I do not recall meeting you, demoness."

The last demon-of-demons couldn't speak… did this one retain more of the human host's qualities? It  _did_  keep the human-like form, after all… Perhaps this demon-of-demons' human host still retained some knowledge of its former self. Was that even possible? Were all demons-of-demons the same, or was there some sort of variance to them?

…Regardless, it seems that this demon-of-demons wants to collect the jewel that its predecessor had a hand in creating.

"You recall correctly."

"Hmm..." Slipping his hands into the baboon-fur cloak, the shard no longer in the open, he focused his attentions on my presence, "It appears I was misinformed – I wasn't aware that the lord travelled with others."

"So it seems." I gave him a coy smile, "Perhaps you won't live as long as you believe, Naraku. I've heard being misinformed greatly  _shortens_  one's life."

Sesshōmaru's patience dwindled and in the blink of an eye he lunged towards Naraku before the demon could respond. The severed baboon cloak fell to the floor, leaving no body behind as the demon-of-demon's energy had retreated just before Sesshōmaru's claws made contact. The imp, foolishly believing the enemy to be defeated, hurried to stomp on the thick fur of the cloak in triumph.

"Haha! That's what you get for daring to-!"

"Tch. He's gone."

At his lord's words, the vassal opened the cloak to reveal that the demon had escaped. With a shocked expression, the imp frantically looked around for a trace of the demon… But Naraku wasn't there, and the wasps that had been waiting patiently had also disappeared, flying into the canopy where the demon-of-demon's energy was now coming from.

I noted that the lord's gaze also centered on the same spot, though he curiously didn't seem all that interested in pursuing the demon. Too proud? Or does he believe that it's not worth his time?

"Jeeze, imp." I sighed, a slanted grin appearing on my face as I questioned how he had managed to travel with his lord even with his astounding lack of abilities, "Are you  _sure_  you're one of Lord Sesshōmaru's vassals?"

The small fuming demon opened his pointed mouth, the beginnings of a squawk dying on his tongue as Naraku's voice emanated from all around us.

"Lord Sesshōmaru, mind your anger." It almost sounded like the miscreant was mocking the dog demon – it appears the amalgamation wasn't that smart after all, "When the time comes to kill Inuyasha, I may call on you again…"

With that, his energy quickly sped away from the area, leaving the three of us in his wake.

Annoyance blossomed across Sesshōmaru's features, and without another word he turned on his heel and left the baboon-fur cloak behind. The imp immediately followed suit, but I found myself lingering, unable to pull my gaze from the direction that Naraku travelled.

Based on how fast this baboon was capable of fleeing, it was about as fast as the last. With that speed, I could keep up most times, but seeing as I was more of a ranged attacker it didn't matter too much: all I need is someone to draw the creature's attention. Sesshōmaru would do nicely in that regard – he might even slay the miscreant without my involvement… and as the lord was a proud being, the fact that this 'Naraku' tried to take advantage of him probably doesn't sit well. So, there's no need for me to put myself in the same position as the amalgamation to try and pit the two against each other...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The miscreant kept his human appearance, which means that it would probably take some time to revert back to its true writhing form – which would grant me time spent  _not_  keeping track of all its appendages in a fight. The creature also  _fled_  from Sesshōmaru, meaning it is at least aware of the limitations of its power – and that if I continued to travel with the dog demon, he'd probably reuse his escape maneuvers. This was fine: it gave me more time to collect information on the abilities of the demon-of-demons before I fought-

Midoriko flashed through my mind: petrified in the previous demon-of-demon's maw.

…No.

I wasn't going to fight this thing because of  _that._  I was going to simply wait until he collected most of the shards and came to  _me_ : then I'd take the jewel off of him while Lord Sesshy occupied him and get rid of this lingering stain of my past. Of course, to do so I still needed to be prepared: and in my preparation I would simply observe what I could of his behaviour.

What did I know of the baboon's behaviour so far?

…Not much. He seems to be pretty manipulative – offering a shard's assistance as long as you do his bidding… But enlisting Sesshōmaru in his desires to kill Inuyasha (as he seemed to know what Lord Sesshy was planning to do with that shard)… that's enlisting a more powerful demon to do your dirty work – more powerful that Naraku decided to flee…

What was to be gained from potentially angering a Great Demon when the baboon was only a mere half-demon? Was it personal?

I turned back towards said dog demon – well, where Lord Sesshy  _would_  have been standing if he hadn't moved on already. Rolling my eyes, I left the clearing to follow the intense energy of the lord. I didn't hasten my pace as I weaved around the tree trunks, not needing to catch up with the two demons right away (after all, it wasn't like I was missing any  _fascinating_  conversations).

My eyes kept a close watch on the swampy grounds beneath the anchored tree trunks, preferring to walk atop the strong roots of the tree than have water seep through my socks. Sesshōmaru's energy wasn't slowing down: those who couldn't keep up were left behind, after all. And while I was impressed at this, a smile stretching over my skin as I found myself amused at the prospect of following the impassive demon for now… He  _was_  a Great Demon. This sort of thing was to be expected: he didn't need to be concerned with turning his back to me – I wouldn't be able to scratch him without a lethal wound being inflicted. Even so, the proud demon wasn't  _entirely_  unpleasant to travel with. The imp at his side though, was a different story. I could do without the incessant squawking about every little thing – but it was fun to rile him up and tune him out, I'll admit.

Seeing as I was still alive, and that the demon lord could leave me behind at any point and still hadn't – I suppose I had more self-restraint than I originally thought. After all, with how little Lord Sesshy expresses, it was hard to know when to stop teasing at the  _right_  moment: just before he'd think I was worth more dead than alive (seeing as how the annoying green thing couldn't shut up, I think that margin was more lenient than he'd like to admit). Well, it was either that or he's simply biding his time until I break the ward I placed on the Tessaiga.

_Buuuuut_ I like to think of it as the former.

Now that I think on it, I should be more careful messing with that priestess when the two brothers duel it out next time. While I could easily kill the half-demon if he interrupted me again, the fact that Sesshōmaru stepped in between us meant that the lord was  _quite_  aware of that. Which was dangerous. The desire to kill one's kin was not foreign to me, after all: had anyone other than myself struck down Isamu, I'd have killed them in a heartbeat.

While it was fun to see how far I could push the lord, killing the half-demon would be more like throwing myself into a fire.

…And I suppose killing the half-demon would be like 'cheating', seeing as Tōga wanted the two brothers to get along: using the swords as a means to do so.

Ah, well. If it comes down to it, I'd pick my life over a dead guy's wishes.

Humming to myself, I weaved through the last trees and stepped out of the swampy forest. The imp and his master hadn't gotten far: I could see their figures steadily walking away over the loamy grass-covered hills. The air was humid, and by the look of the clouds that blocked out the sun's light, it was going to rain soon. Picking up my pace slightly, so that I would catch up with them if they didn't speed up as well, I felt a dull pain wash over me.

My hand rested over the hilt of the sword hanging from my left hip. I had dispelled the sealing charms placed on the metal long ago, with the assistance of the very same lord I watched disappear over the rolling hills.

There was no way I'd let this end like last time.

* * *

O

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"There's no way I'm following you over…" I nodded my head towards the blackened ground, warily watching steam rise from the parts that didn't even look that hot as I shuffled away a little further, " _that_."

I should've kept my pace the same, by the time I caught up, they'd probably be back from enlisting Tōtōsai's skills to craft a new – better – sword than the one that hung unused from Sesshōmaru's figure. It would be impossible, seeing as what that 'useless' sword could  _do_ , but I also couldn't help but wonder what was running through the Great Demon's mind.

Had he given up his desire for the Tessaiga? Or was this sword just supposed to aid him in acquiring it?

It was probably the latter.

…It was definitely the latter: I couldn't see him giving up so easily, especially since I offered to break the charm preventing him from wield his father's magnificent weapon. The one that he didn't think of as useless, that is.

"What's the matter, half-" He cut himself off as he waddled closer, a strange, almost  _gleeful_  look in his eyes, "healer? Can't manage to follow us through this  _minor_  obstacle? Hmph! As expected from a half-…. From someone like  _you_! You can't measure up to my lord, not to mention a pure-blooded demon!"

He puffed his chest out, smugly looking up at me with an upward curl to his mouth – a rare sight, now that I think of it. My desire to squish him like the annoying bug he is grew.

"Oh? I didn't know you wanted me to follow you so badly – if I had known you felt that way…" I hunched over, stopping the motion of my unfolded fan for a moment as I picked him up by the hat strapped to his head, " _I'd have simply used you as a shoe and we'd be finished with this heat already. There's still time, though: we can see if you're good at something other than squawking._ "

Smiling at the struggling imp swatting at his hat in an attempt to loosen my grip, I continued fanning myself. It didn't help too much, but it felt nice. Luckily, because of the red kimono I wore – crafted from the silk of the Fire Spiders that dwell in similar areas such as the volcanic earth we stood in front of – the heat barely affected the skin it covered.

"Un-unhand me, woman! On second thought, you can stay behind! And I, for one, hope that we  _don't_  come back to collect you!"

The imp reached down, attempting to pick up his two-headed staff he had dropped in his surprise… But, seeing as my foot was holding it down, the movement was futile.

"Now that's just  _rude,_ imp." I chuckled darkly, "If you know what's good for you – you'd better hope you burn up before you get back instead!" I then reeled back and threw him into the expanse of cracked earth, seeing him land awkwardly and skid across the ground before immediately jumping up and hopped his way back to where the dog demon and I were standing: his squawks of pain easily being heard at this distance.

I guess squawking is all he's good at after all.

"Snow-woman."

"Yes, Lord Sesshy~?" Even though I sent him a mischievous glance that he no doubt knew was there, it seems that he was getting rather used to the nickname: the flicker of annoyance no longer flashed across his face. I pursed my lips, disappointed at the fact I couldn't use it to rile him up any longer… but also strangely satisfied at the same time.

"Wait here."

"What a marvellous idea." I took several more steps back, seeing his head turn to follow the movement as his golden eyes met mine, "I think I'll do that. Don't take too long: I might get bored and wander off!"

That turned his gaze into a half-hearted glare. But before I could make it anything more than that he scoffed, walking into the scorched lands without batting an eye at the heat.

…When had my defiance to his 'commands' become so half-hearted? While I knew it wasn't likely I was going to wander off – Sesshy and his vassal had been strangely entertaining – it seems the dog demon knew that as well, whereas before his eyes would burn with annoyance rather than just simmer idly. Our goals had aligned more since Naraku's appearance less than a week ago.

I shrugged the thought off. Travelling together is the quickest way to get to know someone, after all. While there was still a lot I didn't know about the Great Demon, what I  _did_  know wasn't off-putting in the slightest. In fact, I'd say a great deal of our ideals were similar. It was…  _nice_. Travelling the lands once more. I had missed seeing the landscape change: after this is all over, perhaps I won't return to the shrine and continue wandering.

"Insufferable woman!"

…And, like that, my mood soured considerably.

"Tch. What an annoying pest." Loosely folding my arms across my chest, I watched as the imp scurried to collect the two-headed staffs he clings to all the time.

"You-!" He opened his mouth, and a wicked grin spread across my lips as I watched him fume.

"Jaken." Sesshōmaru called out, not faltering in his step, and at the sound of his lord's voice the imp hurried off again.

"Oh, yes! Coming, milord!"

But, not before sending a glare back at me, which I earnestly returned.

As the two demons drifted out of sight, the white-haired one easily scaling the blackened earth while the pest beside him still yelped and hopped from one foot to another, I took another leap from the heat the land gave off. Now that I was far away enough for the heat to leave my skin naturally, I closed my fan and placed it back into my obi. As I ensured it was secure in the fabric, my hand drifted over the drawstrings of the pouch containing the jewel shard. After a second of hesitation, I pulled on them, drawing the pouch into my hand before retrieving the shard from within. Strangely, the dark purple sliver of colour had dissipated – leaving the shard with a soft-pink glow.

Remembering that the jewel would've been in a single piece – and that I would've been able to collect it whole in the fifty years I had lived in the shrine – I scoffed, placing it back in the pouch. As I tucked the pouch back into my obi, leaving the top of the strings peaking out from the fabric once again, I pulled Midoriko's sword from its sheathe.

"…But that only means that if the priestess hadn't shattered the jewel into shards, it wouldn't have found its way back to me." I twirled the blade in my hand idly, watching it cut through the air easily.

What a curse Midoriko was, after all.

The blade was now called Kishikaisei – as Midoriko had long faded from this world, as all humans do. What an insult. Kishikaisei: 'Resuscitation' to wake from death and return to life. The name that was given to it after I had been sealed within its metal, cursed to escape its clutches until it drew me back in again, and again, and  _again._  At least now it could only kill me.

My fingers ran down the length of the sword, the smooth metal gleaming in the pale sunlight.

It had been a while since I released it from the sheath, I mused. It was perfectly balanced, easy to hold with a single hand, and still sharp enough to cut through bone seeing as how the edge held up well. But was it still a good conduit for energy?

Curious, I tentatively poured my demonic energy into it. Seeing as how it didn't try to absorb me again (not that it would, since I removed the spells, but you can never be  _too_  careful with a priestess's work), I continued filling the sword with energy. After only a minute, the blade was cold to the touch, and as the temperature was drastically different from its surroundings, a mist rolled off of the blade's sharpened edge. With a satisfied hum, I pierced the ground with the blade's tip, a smile forming as cold air exploded from the area, freezing the ground and covering the nearby plants with a thin coat of ice and snow. Frigid Flash: a move that would normally use up lots of my energy as I poured it into the ground beneath me… seemed to need far less when poured into the blade. And for the amount of snow and ice caused by it, expanding outwards from the sword in a spherical shape, it seemed to increase the range as well as use less energy. A truly magnificent blade, capable of optimizing energy usage…

Perhaps I should use it a little more?

I had never been really interested in swordplay, and while Midoriko was well-versed in combat with one, Sesshōmaru's skills could not be matched by a human. Not with all the time he had to perfect it: even his father didn't wield the Tessaiga so fluently in the brief time that the dog demon had it in his grasp. But Tōga's fighting style aligned itself more with Inuyasha's than Sesshōmaru's graceful, efficient, movements. Of course, the only difference between Tōga and Inuyasha in battle was that Tōga could back up that reckless behaviour with the amount of power he had. At least, that's what I'd witnessed before he died so needlessly… but his eldest son certainly was nearly (if not already) at the same level – and he still had many,  _many_  years to surpass the power Tōga had chosen to forego before his time.

But, it wasn't like I needed to master swordsmanship or anything. A little practice would help if things got too close for combat – not that it happens often… but being prepared for anything would help with getting the jewel from Naraku once the only shard he needs to complete it is the one tucked into my obi.

With that, I lifted the sword from the ground, happy to see that the ice remained as the mist being released from the sword drifted down and created a low-lying cloud of white before it settled onto the snow. And so, I spent most of my time practicing a few different swings of the sword, getting a feel for its weight and desired motion in my hand before I noticed a demonic energy other than Sesshōmaru's or the imp's approaching from the volcanic land. The sun had begun setting, and as I watched for the figure along the lands, I realized that the energy was not coming from the ground…

But the sky.

I sheathed my blade as I watched an old demon who carried a long-handled hammer fly overhead on… an ox demon. I had never met the swordsmith before, but I had a funny feeling this was Tōtōsai fleeing from Sesshōmaru's request. Not that I blame him – Sesshy probably didn't give him much of a choice in the matter…. But seeing as Sesshōmaru wasn't giving chase, he had probably left to finish an errand before returning? Did he take that imp with him?

"HALF-BREED!"

…Of course not.

"STOP THAT FOOL!"

At the shrill sound of the demon's voice, the man flying atop the ox looked down, our eyes meeting for a moment before he noticed the imp running frantically after him. With that, the ox sped up and they soon disappeared from sight… which left me with the imp, who was crawling towards me, sucking in as much air as he could as he did so.

"I… said to stop him!"

"And?" I raised a brow at the panting demon, "I don't take orders from you, imp. Besides, what did you want me to do? Shoot him? I'm  _sure_  that would make him want to craft a blade for your lord."

"Oooooh this is all  _your_  fault!" Seemingly catching his breath, the imp jumped up and started stomping his foot like a petulant child, "Not only did Tōtōsai escape because of you, but this is the first time Lord Sesshōmaru has left me behind! And it's ALL your fault! Your useless blathering has probably put him in a bad mood – why am I the one who he takes it out ooooooon?!"

The end of his furious rant turned into more of a whine as he anxiously crushed his hat between his hands, mumbling to himself as he walked around in circles.

"That sounds like a personal problem." I sat down on the recently thawed ground, watching with mild interest as the little demon seemed to break down.

"OOOOOH I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH YOU!"

"No, please, go on." I laid down on the cool grass, still watching him with a raised brow and the slight upward curl tugging at my lips as I propped my head up with my hand, "It's not like you've been saying that since you've met me or anything. I'm sure  _this_  time it'll be interesting."

"See! It's  _that_  sort of insolence that makes Lord Sesshōmaru annoyed with me! You have no respect for anyone or anything, and once you've broken the charm that  _you_  put on the Tessaiga – milord's rightful blade – he'll drop you where you stand, and I'll get back the years of my life your presence has–!" He paused, probably noticing that my head had slipped into the crook of my arm as I feigned sleep, "Ugh! You…! Sleeping? Pah! You're truly not worthy of journeying with milord! A half-breed–!"

My arm shot out as my eyes opened into slits, and I stopped the annoyance by grabbing his protruding mouth and pulling him closer to my face as he yelped.

"Shuuuuut up already. I'm beginning to think your only useful skill is talking people to death. I'm going to take a nap, because it's the only way to make my time with you enjoyable, and  _your_  going to wait for your lord  _at least_  ten feet away from me. Understand?" With that, I pushed him away and sunk my energy into the ground – forcing up two ice walls from the ground at an angle to shield my figure from the pest's view.

And, as I felt him walking around the wall I had put up in front of him, I created two more ice walls to connect to where the first two met in their angle above me*. Even then, I could hear him grumbling about something, and after hearing a light  _thunk_  and a stifled cry of pain… I think he kicked the ice in frustration.

At the thought, I brought a hand up to keep a chuckle from escaping before allowing myself to slowly fall asleep.

It had been a while since I had the chance to indulge in the human behaviour, as Sesshōmaru walked on without end or rest: as a result, we managed to close distances in a far shorter time than I was used to. Demons didn't need a lot to keep going, and I could only assume that Great Demons could maintain their strength with a lot less…

Lord Sesshy's relatively unhurried pace probably came from knowing that he was travelling with lesser demons, but also from the fact he wouldn't dare let anything alter his own pace but himself and  _only_  himself.

I gave a light shrug, before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

O

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Sesshōmaru had returned the next day, when the sun was still low in the sky and the sullen silence indicated that even the birds were still asleep. As soon as I picked up his energy, I emerged from my ice-shelter (which I will now forever call the imp-barrier) and squinted at the pale light that stung my adjusting eyes. The imp, realizing that I came out of the shelter, jumped up to his feet, following my gaze and looking up to the sky.

And it seems that Sesshōmaru didn't return alone.

He was riding atop another flying demon – a two-headed dragon demon which had no wings and seemed more like a beast of burden than anything: not quite as fearsome as previous dragon demons I had faced before. It held blue flames in its claws as it flew, and as it lowered towards the ground the flames started to flicker out. Both heads of the demon were muzzled, the reigns that were attached to them being held loosely in the lord's grasp. It was a beautiful looking creature,

Am I the  _only_  demon who doesn't have a flying mount?

"So, Tōtōsai has fled."

The lord seems to have caught the scent of the swordsmith as he flew down, a scowl already settling into his face.

"Ah! Milord, you've returned!", the imp runs over to Sesshōmaru as the dragon lands, hurriedly bowing to the lord, "Please forgive me, Lord Sesshōmaru! The swordsmith slipped through my grasp, as  _someone_  wouldn't stop him!" he sent a glare my way before hurriedly continuing, "But he's known to only forge a sword if he takes a liking to the one who commissions him…"

"It seems your vassal is saying he doesn't like you, Lord Sesshy."

"What? I'm doing no such thing! I'm simply saying that-!"

"Hmph. So, he has no intention of forging an appropriate sword for me?"

I stepped up to the two-headed dragon, reaching a hand out slowly – giving it more than enough time to see my approach – and ignored the demon lord's gaze. The demon didn't back away, it's pale yellow eyes watching me closely as I pressed a hand against its scaled skin, running down the green scales before tangling into its soft black hair half-way down its neck. The left head leaned down, watching me as I carefully inspected the head on my right.

"Well, aren't you a beauty?"

Lord Sesshōmaru seemed to have no shortage of demons under his command: dragon demons were one of the strongest out there. Being a Great Demon certainly does have its perks.

The dragon steed snorted at me, shaking its head back and forth – making me retract my hand for fear of annoying the beast – before it raised its head proudly, glancing over to the other head with what I almost would call a smug look. The head leaned down even further, the reigns falling completely loose as the head to my left nudged its muzzled snout into my hand while also shoving its neck against the other head.

I let out a laugh, smoothing my fingers over the warm-to-the-touch scales, "Oh don't worry, you're just as good-looking!"

It retracted its head from my hands with a happy-sounding snort, and turned to look at its other head, satisfaction rolling off of it as it seems to have made it's point.

"Jaken, Inoue." I started at the sound of my family name, tilting my head to look between the two-headed dragon and stare curiously at Sesshōmaru, but finding his gaze turned down to the imp, "We're leaving."

"Ah, right, milord!"

The imp scurried up the side of the dragon, jumping up and scrambling to sit in the saddle behind Sesshōmaru. With another glance up to Sesshōmaru, and seeing how he wasn't dismounting, I turned back to the dragon demon's heads.

"Could I ask that you carry me as well, dragon?"

The four ears of the beast swivelled as the two heads looked at each other before glancing back towards Sesshōmaru. After a moment of Sesshōmaru giving no heed to their stares, the two-headed dragon lowered itself to the ground, allowing me to easily climb into the saddle. Nodding my head as a way to show my gratitude to the dragon, I made my way around the side of the beast and heaved myself onto the back of the creature. The saddle was surprisingly soft, and I watched over my sandals as the dragon stood to its full height the ground fell away as it eased into the air.

Twisting my body towards the front, seeing Sesshōmaru's long white hair sweeping down to the saddle that the imp clutched onto (seemingly fearing for his life), I smirked.

"So, we're onto 'Inoue' now? I'm flattered, Lord Sesshy."

It had only taken fifty years, after all.

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***PLEASE NOTE***

* * *

***** Nozo essentially created an ice-tent. Much like how Toph from ATLA makes her than I thought.

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O

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Sooo it's been a while! I've been a bit busy, and I'm now the proud DM of a weekly D&D session with some friends that has taken up a lot of my creative juices as well - but I should be back in the swing of things for the summer. Sorry for the wait!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

The next meeting with Inuyasha is coming up?!

HOW WILL THE REUNION WITH KIRARA GO?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

How will Nozo react to meeting our favourite orphan, Rin?

Is Nozo warming up to Sesshy...?

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	14. Lost in the Snow

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 14: Lost in the Snow

“It looks like Tōtōsai has run into Inuyasha.”

The lord’s voice rumbled from in front of me, and I curiously tried to peek over his shoulder to get a closer look at his face as he spoke. It had been a while since he uttered a word, the last being ‘Wait here’ to the imp (a smart move, indeed) before we took to the sky again. I couldn’t complain – a well-placed silence was always something to be appreciated, and it had allowed my mind to wander as I watched the terrain below to change rapidly… But seeing as it was the lord who broke the silence this time, I immediately regained my wandering thoughts and pushed them to finding what the Great Demon had no doubt smelled.

“Hm~?” I chuckled, sensing the energy of the half-demon and his companions, “That was foolish of the old swordsmith, that half-demon can’t even protect _himself_ let alone those who share his company–”

The beginnings of a mocking smile faltered, and all evidence of a pointed flash of teeth disappeared in an instant as I sensed a familiar energy. I could see Sesshōmaru shift in the saddle, his head turning over his armless shoulder to glance behind at me, but before I could recover from my temporary lapse of composure the present was far away.

And instead of a hard saddle or a scaled beast, I sat atop the soft fur of the large form of the nekomata I had restored many years ago.

_I could feel the heat of the demon imprint itself onto the sides of my legs as I dug them into her flank, steadying myself in a half-standing stance as I shot a crystalline arrow at a large centipede demon currently roiling on the ground below. Kirara growled in what I took as some sort of congratulatory grunt when the arrow found its mark as it splintered into shards and riddled the centipede with gashes. Not that it was hard to hit my mark, even on Kirara’s flying body, but I smirked anyway as I drew another cold arrow back and took aim once more as I watched the human priestess dodge around its many legs as if performing some sort of dance with her blade. A second later, the centipede was writhing again as its legs found themselves detached from its body._

_“Don’t turn it into a pile of rubble, Midoriko!” Another arrow fired, and then I pushed my body flush against Kirara’s back as the nekomata dodged under an attack, “ **You’re** the one who insisted we bring something back to the smith’s this time~!”_

_“Shut up!” Midoriko rolled under the massive demon as it lifted its heft back onto its feet and off the ground, “That was one time!”_

“Inoue?”

Sesshōmaru’s voice drew me back into the present, where what held me in the air was not soft and warm, but hard and cold. The new company _I_ kept followed the same trend.

“It seems like Inuyasha has found some new companions.” My lips drew into a tight line, and my eyes traced the horizon. Kirara was one of them.

Would she still remember me?

…What did she think of us both leaving her at that village in the end?

What is the story they spoke of when they spoke of Midoriko and her demon companions…?

“You know them.”

My eyes swivelled, widening as they moved from the horizon to the man in front of me. An eyebrow found itself in a fine arch as I considered the lord carefully. I had thought that my previous answer was satisfactory for the lord – he would usually drop the conversation and make his own conclusions (which were probably right) from there… Had that _not_ been enough? Surely, he could smell the two new scents mingled in with the group, as I could sense the new energy that came from the same location as the untrained priestess and the half-demon?

…While it would’ve been posed as more of a question with anyone else, the simple statement suited the lord.

I grinned widely as his golden gaze turned back to take my figure in once more, and while my words were playful, my eyes were challenging, “…No.”

_Not anymore_.

“Hm.” His gaze hardened, regaining its burning sharpness that flared beautifully when he was annoyed, and turned his form back to the front as he relinquished the reins, “Will that be a problem?”

My eyes narrowed curiously at the question, staring into the back of the silver-haired demon as my grin turned wicked, thinking of the fate of the Demon Slayers and Kitabayashi, “Never.”

It would be lying to say I didn’t hope my encounter with Kirara would be different… But it _had_ been a very long time since I was her companion – while challenging her loyalty would certainly be entertaining if she chose me over her new partner… having it be the other way around would turn it into a very dangerous situation for me, specifically. I couldn’t even throw the imp in the way…

“Good.”

With that, the clearing that contained the energies of Inuyasha and his group came into view, and Sesshōmaru launched himself from the dragon. As he fell to the earth below, I sidled forwards in the saddle and scanned the meadow. The swordsmith and his ox that I saw flying over me was hiding behind Inuyasha’s figure along with the unimpressive priestess in the strange garments. The hand-hole monk and the woman that stood behind assumed more of an alert stance, wary, but waiting to attack.

The monk would surely know better this time – hopefully he would believe we still had the demon wasps – but the woman? I looked closer, she had brown eyes and long dark brown hair that was tied loosely with a ribbon. A pink and purple kimono was partially covered by some sort of long green fabric tied roughly in the same area as my hakama… probably the human fashion for this time: which was far more plausible than the garbs the pseudo-priestess wore. Seeing as how Kirara was standing close by to her, growing into her larger form as Sesshōmaru landed and taking up an aggressive stance in front of the human woman, I figured that she was Kirara’s new companion.

And Kirara wouldn’t choose just _anyone_ to stand by her side, I hope.

“Inuyasha, why are you with Tōtōsai?” Yet again, Sesshōmaru stated a question more like a demand.

“Isn’t it obvious? To punish you!” The swordsmith peeked out from behind Inuyasha to speak, glaring towards Sesshy before he ducked behind the half-demon again at the sight of the withering glare I have no doubt the demon lord sent the smith’s way.

“I see you are rushing headlong into death, Tōtōsai.” Sesshōmaru drew his hand from his sleeve, displaying his claws and murderous intent as he started cracking his knuckles.

Seeing as the lord gave no word on whether he wanted me to stay on the two-headed dragon (which, admittedly, still probably _meant_ he wanted me there), I dropped off the flying demon after whispering my thanks to it.

“Oh, it’s her again!”

Glancing over to the pseudo-priestess at the gasp she let out at my descent, I curled my lips into a smile and landed easily on the ground. I caught the glare of the half-demon, the growl caught in the dog’s throat not lost on my pointed ears, and then I met the red gaze of Kirara. Said demon lost her growl, head tilting to the side for a moment as she considered me and the way I shook my head imperceptibly. A flash of recognition crossed her face, and she removed her attention from me and angled it towards Sesshōmaru again.

For a moment, my eyes drifted over her form, seeing no visible wounds or signs of aging on the demon before turning my blue gaze to the black diamond pattern on her forehead.

For a moment, I wondered how I never realized that the demon shared a forehead marking with the late priestess.

After that moment had passed, I realized the new companion that had joined Inuyasha was looking back and forth between myself and Kirara with a cross between a confused and curious expression.

“Er… Why don’t we discuss your new sword _after_ you beat Inuyasha?!” A nervous laughter followed those words, and I started walking towards Inuyasha’s group in a wide arc (giving Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha lots of space for the fight I _knew_ would start soon thanks to those words).

“That’s the opposite of what you said earlier!”

“Oh, really…?”

“ **Tōtōsai…** ” The threatening tone of Lord Sesshy’s words stopped the human girl’s bickering with the old demon as Inuyasha instinctively pushed them back, “Do _not_ forget what you just said.”

Sesshōmaru then leapt towards Inuyasha, causing all except the dog demon to join me on the sidelines, though I was glad to see that they still kept their distance: we _were_ backing opposites sides in this fight after all.

“You can die for my new sword then, Inuyasha.”

“Oh yeah?! We’ll see who kills who!”

The sounds of their battle faded to the background, and though I idly watched them clash my ears were directed towards the mostly-human company Inuyasha kept.

“Ah-ha.” More specifically, I wanted to hear what the swordsmith thought of this all, “You can tell they’re brothers by how short-tempered they both are.”

“You’re the one who instigated this!”

The bickering was once again broken up by the brothers, as Inuyasha was sent sliding across the ground by Sesshōmaru near the place Inuyasha’s group had reformed. Out of panic, not wanting to get into the way of the fight (and at the exasperated shouting of the younger brother), the group moved further away, and subsequently, closer towards me. Kirara, who had still yet to revert to her smaller form, sidled up to my form as the others also gathered around, using the nekomata as a barrier between me and themselves.

There was an inch between us: merely an inch of uncertain space that I was unsure whether to cross or not.

My fingers twitched, yearning to run my fingers through the nekomata’s warm fur once again, to feel as if nothing has changed in the years apart. To rid myself of the burden of wondering whether Kirara had waited for us outside that cave, if she worried… If she left before I emerged as the sole survivor because she had gone to hunt or help the village – not because she no longer wished to wait. I clenched my fist, refusing myself the softness of both the nekomata’s fur and friendship as I stared blindly out onto the meadow that had been scarred by the brothers’ rivalry.

I had changed since that day, the person I was then was only a memory more than three hundred years old: a shadow I preferred to not look back on.

I had done much in our time apart – would Kirara still-?

Kirara pushed her flank up against me, against the back of the hand that was pressed firmly into my side. My shoulders lowered, the breath I had been holding escaped my lungs finally as my fingers followed her back as she straightened her body. Curling my fingers discretely in her pelt, her figure blocking the view of the humans on the other side of her, I felt loud vibrations thrum up the length of my arm as her purring started. It was hard to contain it when she started, but she seemed to be trying to withhold the thunderous sound of it (her large form amplified it) as we both stared out into the broken meadow quietly.

With such a simple action, I felt the sting across my heart fade, and I basked in the relief as Kirara’s warmth spread through my body. It wasn’t uncomfortable: on the contrary, it felt like I had been missing it for a _very_ long time without realizing it. It felt like I had finally anchored myself back in this world, no longer drifting through time like it had felt since I was forced to lose track of it. No longer drifting through an illusory world, hoping for _something_ real to cling to that wasn’t the _pain_. That wasn’t the image of brown eyes watching my own as a coldness spread from my heart and distorted my being in a way I hadn’t thought possible…

I had missed this dearly.

“What’s the matter, Inuyasha?” The teasing (or rather insulting) lilt of Sesshōmaru’s voice brought me back to the present, “Aren’t you going to punish your brother, as Tōtōsai requested? If you think that would be possible using the same basic moves as ever...”

He glanced over towards the group, his golden hues flashing over my interaction with Kirara to reach Tōtōsai, “Do you not feel sad for the Tessaiga? The famous sword is no better than a piece of log in _his_ hands. Depending on its user, a sword can live or die.”

The old man nodded in agreement, “A wise observation… my opinion precisely.”

“Don’t agree!” The pseudo-priestess reprimanded him as Inuyasha twitched in anger.

“Bah! The battle is _just_ beginning!”

…And yet he’s the only one getting injured. Seems like the fight is as good as over if it’s that one-sided, the half-demon is delusional. Sesshōmaru seems to have thought the same thing if the glare he sends towards Inuyasha was anything to go off. If that wasn’t enough, the way Sesshōmaru deftly dodged Inuyasha’s ‘club swing’ and caught his wrist with his poisonous claw to swiftly end the fight as his patience dwindled made it clear.

With the amount of strength, the dog demon lord had, _not_ ending the fight with his half-brother was simply him just playing around with his prey: testing to see if he had anything to match against… which he obviously still had no idea about how to use the power of the Tessaiga. Disappointing, but not unexpected: the younger brother hadn’t had the pleasure of witnessing Tōga use the blade himself after all.

“Well then, Tōtōsai? Do you still refuse to make a sword for me?”

“No way!”

Tōtōsai’s cheeks inflated, and on instinct I jumped back, untangling my fingers from Kirara’s fur as I gained distance from the swordsmith as he jumped into the air. Sesshōmaru followed my action a second after, when the old demon had jumped into the air and released a stream of fire towards the Great Demon before angling it towards me, forcing me to leap back again to avoid the line he was drawing between us. While the younger brother was caught by the unexpected blast, looking a little singed by it from what I could see from the swaying flames, the elder landed unscathed beside me.

“So, you absolutely refuse?” Sesshōmaru’s voice was quiet; dangerous. Had I not known any better, it wouldn’t sound different from his usual commanding tone, but I _did_ know better. He didn’t enjoy Tōtōsai’s interference, and had he not wanted something from the demon, the lord wouldn’t overlook the attack so easily. While I wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack Sesshōmaru, this was a clear example of how to _dissuade_ myself should the thought ever cross my mind.

“You’ve already been given a wonderful sword that has been forged by me, you ungrateful demon!” He squinted his eyes at Sesshōmaru as the flames of his creation died down, “That famous sword at your hip: Tenseiga! Surely you haven’t forgotten _that_ blade?! It was also made from your father’s fang and is therefore equal to it in power!”

The old demon huffed angrily, before continuing.

“The Tessaiga for the younger brother and the Tenseiga for the older brother – that’s what your father decided! And not only did you get the Tenseiga entrusted to your care, but also the Kishikaisei!” He turned his gaze to me, or more specifically, the sword at my hip, “For it would provide a formidable ally should you call on its metal: and it looks like you have!”

“What? The Kishikaisei?!” The newcomer to Inuyasha’s group gasped, drawing the attention of her companions to her as her brown eyes traced the sword before clashing with my blue ones.

She was a Demon Slayer, then? Pah, those fools should’ve known what was good for them and died out when one of their own released me from the sword his own ancestors sealed me in. Seems I didn’t take down enough of them to keep them from withstanding the years…

“Tch. This blunt sword is not in any way equal to the Tessaiga, nor is it suitable for me. Since you are implying as much means that you have a bigger death wish than I had thought.” The sudden burst of demonic energy coming off of Sesshōmaru spoke volumes to his anger, and Tōtōsai lost his recently recovered spine as soon the energy rolled off of the Great Demon.

“I guess I’ll take my leave…!”

Waving the long hammer back and forth, he then jumped into the air as he brought it down.

It easily split the ground, and to my surprise lava poured from the cracks as they spread through the earth towards us. Panic heightened my senses, and as I continued to leap backwards from the spread of the cracking ground (and the lava rising from beneath it), I saw Sesshōmaru from the corner of my eye as he landed in an area I quickly took as being safe from the changing terrain. As the ground continued to crumble beneath my feet with every hop backwards towards Sesshy, the swift splitting of the ground giving me little to no time to gain my bearings. Soon, I was unable to plant myself above enough solid ground to leap again without having lava splash upwards towards me.

As much as the red kimono I wore beneath my hakama could withstand heat – I wasn’t sure how it would hold up against lava…

My hand found the hilt of Kishikaisei without thinking, and after hastily filling it with my energy I withdrew it from its scabbard and plunged it into the liquifying ground beneath me. Before a second passed, Frigid Flash engulfed the nearby area in a cold blast of demonic energy, slowing the process of the lava flow… But the heat that rose from the now exposed lava made the effects to be _very_ limited. Withdrawing my sword with a scowl, I was about to leap again as I shielded my face and neck from the heated steam that rose around me with my kimono’s sleeve… when something white and furry wrapped around my waist and pulled me from the area easily.

Landing behind the Great Demon, I traced the white fur back towards Sesshōmaru, who had seemingly guided the fur train that was always wrapped around his arm to retrieve me from the meadow-turned-lava-flow. He didn’t meet my gaze, sourly focusing his attention on the retreating party containing his half-brother and the swordsmith who refused to grant the lord his services. As I landed on solid ground, this time a patch which wasn’t under the threat of turning into lava, I quickly made my way to the middle of this ‘island’ of rock which sat in a bubbling ocean of steaming-hot lava.

The fur train, which had released me as soon as possible when I was over solid ground, was thrown nonchalantly over the lord’s shoulder once more before he turned his gaze upwards.

That alone was enough to signal the two-headed demon to descend and lie down, allowing the lord to climb into the saddle as I followed a moment longer of gazing after Kirara’s figure shrinking in the sky. To my surprise, Sesshōmaru didn’t guide the dragon after the retreating figures of Inuyasha’s group, but instead, turned us around towards the direction we had come from.

While my tongue burned to push a teasing comment through my lips about leaving the imp behind, I decided to hold the thought for when the green-skinned demon had joined us again.

And while part of me questioned why the lord had stooped to help me escape the lava flow, I didn’t question what I already knew: I was still useful for the time being.

Staying useful while our goals were aligned would be advantageous, then.

* * *

 O

* * *

Sesshōmaru still preferred walking even after acquiring his two-headed dragon companion. While that hadn’t changed due to the demon’s arrival, our pace had slowed considerably to allow the dragon to graze every now and then. It was strange, not walking constantly until we reached the destination Sesshōmaru had in mind, but the only downside to a half-hour of rest after a few hours’ travel was the imp’s attention turning from keeping pace with the lord.

“Pah! What use would a snow-demoness have with brewing tea?”

And when his attention was turned from placing one foot in front of another, the imp seemed to have a gift for becoming even _more_ annoying: a possibility I had never considered before this moment.

“I didn’t ask your opinion, imp.” I slowed the pour of the steaming liquid after filling the cup below the chip that found its place on the rim of the pottery, “I asked if you wanted tea.”

Without waiting for his reply, I filled two more cups: one with only a crack or two in it which wouldn’t allow liquid to pass through, and the other which was relatively unscathed except for a scratch or two marring the green colouring of the ceramic cup. Gingerly picking up the steaming cup with the tips of my fingers on the rim, I placed the cracked cup in front of Jaken while I leaned backwards. Twisting my torso, I furthered my reach behind me and placed the unscathed cup next to Sesshōmaru, who had been deep in thought ever since we stopped at the old house in the outskirts of the abandoned building.

At least the dragon arm now attached to his flesh seemed to be agreeing with his demonic energy more than the human one the baboon had given him. Well, with the ease at which he killed the dragon it once belonged to (with his _bare hands_ , even!), it was hard to think that it would be capable of matching Sesshōmaru’s unbelievable might for long. Even if it _is_ a dragon’s arm: the strongest type of demon… it was no match for a Great Demon.

I shuddered to think of the Great Demon Dragon that had taken down Tōga: Ryūkotsusei. I did _not_ want to face one of those again.

“Lord Sesshy, feel free to help yourself to some tea as well~!”

Straightening my body once more, I took my own cracked cup and wrapped my hands around the pottery without touching it and using my powers to cool the liquid from its steaming state to more of a lukewarm temperature. Satisfied with the cooled tea, I took a sip, still gingerly holding it in my hands so it didn’t slip. It was a sweet mixture of herbs: pleasant, but not overpowering. The lukewarm temperature didn’t scorch my throat, though it left an unusual warmth spreading through my body. It didn’t hurt, but to be cautious I only took small sips before cooling the tea further and letting the cold liquid soothe what the heat had warmed.

“Fool! Milord won’t stoop so low as to- AH! HOT HOT HOT!”

“I can’t believe it. You’re as stupid as you look, imp – which is saying a lot.” I took another sip of the tea, mouth curling into a pleased smile as I saw the imp’s eyes widen at the sight, “Did you _not_ see it boiling mere moments ago?”

“Wh-What?! But _you’re_ drinking it!”

“Oh, so you _can_ see?”

“This is another one of your tricks, isn’t it?!”

“Hmm… Is it?”

“Argh!”

I let out a dark chuckle as Jaken, fed up with my antics, stood and left the house, slamming the sliding doors shut behind him. I managed to catch the two-headed dragon’s curious gaze as it lifted its heads at the approaching imp before the door blocked my view of them, so I turned my gaze to the interior of the building while I cooled my tea.

It was a nice building: decorative plants that had once been in elegant pottery were now shattered across the floor. The paper walls had been left unkept, and so the thin material had broken ripped and torn across the screens. The tatami flooring still held up, but now blood seeped into the woven fabric as the recently deceased bandits that were strewn around the interior, impaled by ice spikes, and probably stained it beyond any hope. Arrows that dug into the tatami and rice paper screens had been here long before they came (none had a chance to attack before Arctic Assault took care of them)… So, it had already been looted long before now. The bandits had probably come in after seeing us enter hoping to take what we had for themselves…

Unfortunately for them, it didn’t seem to go so well.

Fortunately, I managed to obtain a full coin pouch from searching the bodies. And, as I explored the other rooms of the house to collect said coinage from the bandits, I also came across the tea set.

So, all in all, I’ve been having a _very_ fortunate day.

“Inoue.” Sesshōmaru’s voice startled me from my thoughts, and as I turned back to look at him I saw that was standing, leaving the teacup untouched.

“Mm?” I took another sip of my tea as I remained seated, waiting to see what he wanted before I stood as well.

“We’re leaving.”

“Lead the way.”

Curious, as it had not been too long since we settled down to let the dragon graze, I drank the rest of my tea as I stood as well. Resting a hand on Kishikaisei’s hilt as I placed the empty cup on the ground and grabbed my quiver, I slung it over my shoulder as I followed Sesshōmaru’s form out of the house.

To my surprise, we didn’t head into the backyard to either alert Jaken or collect both the imp and the dragon to continue our journey again. Instead, we exited to the front of the house without a word to the others in our group. Seeing that Sesshōmaru wasn’t offering any hints as to what we were doing, I figured that I might as well get closer to him in case he was going to fly us towards his destination like before…

Stepping closer to him, I felt his demonic energy flare up: but instead of the gentle mist-like portrayal of his energy, it instead enclosed us in a brightly glowing sphere. Before I could collect my thoughts on the matter, his manifested energy shot us away from the ground and through the air. This particular mode of transportation seemed much faster than travelling by the mist… Perhaps he didn’t need to trail anything this time?

In moments, we had no doubt travelled across the land faster than I could ever hope to do so myself. And with a loud _crack_ as if lightning had impacted the ground, I was standing stationary on solid ground again – a crater reshaping the ground where we had landed as Sesshōmaru instantly readied his claws for attack.

“Sesshōmaru… Back again, huh?!”

It seems he had taken us back to Inuyasha and his group, and Tōtōsai was still among the group hiding behind the half-demon as Sesshōmaru left the crater and approached. It made sense, now. Jaken and the two-headed dragon would’ve gotten in the way of what Sesshōmaru and his fight, and I was necessary for keeping the half-priestess and the others from interrupting? The lord could certainly handle the whole group by himself… except for the monk and his hand-hole… Was that the reason he brought me along?

Well, if that’s the case, then ensuring that the monk thought we still had the wasps – or acquiring a hostage so that he couldn’t angle his ability towards the fight would be useful… But even then, Sesshōmaru will be entangled with Inuyasha, so should the monk wish to suck one in, the other would have no defence as well. Unless he managed to convince Inuyasha to back off – something I highly doubted. Either way, I decided to seep my energy across the ground: setting up my Range for whatever was needed when the situation unfolded.

“Tōtōsai… I’ll rip you apart along with Inuyasha and the rest.”

“I’ve had it with all this about Tessaiga: it’s about time to settle this once and for all!” Inuyasha drew Tessaiga, transforming the blade as soon as the metal exited the sheathe and readied himself against Sesshōmaru’s advance.

“Rest assured.” Sesshōmaru revealed the dragon claw, using it to grab onto the Tessaiga as Inuyasha made to swing it at his elder brother, “It all ends today.”

With the two of them fighting it out already, I removed Katashi’s bow from across my chest, ignoring the twinge of pain that flashed across my chest as I did so. Drawing a regular arrow from the quiver (which I should probably restock soon, now that I take count of how many arrows are left), I notched it to the bowstring and kept an eye on the rest of Inuyasha’s group. Now that the half-demon was occupied, Tōtōsai now hid behind the human ranks of the group. All seemed content to sit and watch the fight for now – but they had a habit of interfering with things they shouldn’t.

I avoided Kirara’s gaze as I looked them over. The half-priestess lacked her own bow: possibly being unable to replace the one I broke when she stood in my way. The monk was clutching his staff, seemingly uninterested in revealing his hand-hole (which was wrapped in several beads to seal it)… Beside him stood the Demon Slayer: a large weapon of sorts strapped to her back as she watched the fight closely. It had a curve in it: too long and awkward to be used as a melee weapon? Perhaps it was thrown… But, based on the stale demonic aura coming from it the weapon was made from demon parts.

“Inuyasha!”

The group made a move to step forward as the half-demon skidded across the ground as a result of a series of blows from Sesshōmaru’s dragon claw. Without even thinking, the arrow released from the bowstring and stopped the movement in its tracks as the arrow-tip dug into the ground. As soon as it hit the ground, Arctic Assault unearthed some ice spikes stopping short of their bodies as a further warning.

“Ah-ah-ah~!” I drew back the bowstring again, pointing it at the group as my demonic energy materialized a crystalline arrow to fill the space that had been emptied, “Why don’t we all take it easy and enjoy the show… Not like you could do much to change the outcome of this fight either way.”

“Hiraikotsu!”

The Demon Slayer stepped forward as the others only managed to gaze wide-eyed at the ice that had formed before them and, pulling the weapon from her back, threw it across the spikes I created. Seeing as I didn’t form them to withstand attacks of weapons and merely to pierce human flesh, they broke easily under the weight the weapon whirled around before it returned to the woman. She caught it easily, brown eyes glaring at me as she challenged me and my power defiantly.

“A weapon that returns once thrown?”, I only gave her a wicked grin in return, eyes smug as I shrugged my shoulders. “Hmph. It’s seems like the only thing that improved in that village is the quality of its weapons – the Slayers are still beneath my notice even after all this time!”

It was true: the weapon itself was of incredible craftsmanship… and while I had to admit that the Demon Slayer seemed to know how to wield it – she was still young. And being young meant it was easy to spark their anger: and the young were easy to fight when anger controlled their movements.

“Demon! You know nothing of my village!”

“Sango, don’t-!”

This time the Hiraikotsu came towards me, but it was easy to sidestep it and even easier to avoid it again on the way back since its demonic energy was effortlessly trackable within my Range. But anger had already seeped in, and as she charged at me without her weapon, I shot the arrow towards her. It shattered mid-air, several shards careening towards her as she realized her mistake (probably thinking she could dodge _one_ arrow) and raised her arm in front of her face to defend against the incoming attacks. Her eyes were only off of me for a moment, but at that point she had already stepped far enough into my Misdirection that it didn’t matter: an explosion of mist filled the area. My breath clouded the air.

And I had already won.

The Slayer broke through the ice shards, ignoring them as they dug into her flesh and came out crimson, and caught her weapon before leaping towards me with it held across the front of her body. She charged into me, angling the combined weight of her and her weapon downwards as she fell back to the ground. Knocking me off my feet, she repositioned herself on top of Hiraikotsu, trapping me beneath the weapon as she knelt on the bone. Drawing a hidden blade in her kimono’s sleeve, she pointed it downwards at me, keeping it at my neck as she glared furiously.

“I would say the opposite, in fact. I know _too much_ about your little village, Demon Slayer.” My grin soured, “It’s filled with a bunch of old fools who couldn’t see past the metal of a needle in a field of hay!”

“Where did you get that sword, demon?!”

“Oh, this thing?” I leaned forwards, into the blade pressed against my skin, “Some said I couldn’t escape it: I did. What stronger vengeance could I take on those that sealed me within it than to wield it for my own gains?”

Her eyes widened, the blade trembled in her hands as it drew a bead of red to the surface of my skin, “The demon inside the Kishikaisei… escaped? _You’re_ the one who caused nothing but grief for my village in the past? The one we learn about when we start training… so we’re never fooled with the trickery used to murder the priestess Midoriko?!”

My eyes narrowed into slits, “ _The very same, in the flesh_.”

So _that’s_ how they skewed their history with interacting with demons. At least I’ve become some sort of model for what demons to _not_ interact with: I wouldn’t be surprised if such stories were told more often than that of Midoriko’s conquests.

I sneered, “But we’ll have to swap stories some other time,” and as she drew the blade across my throat, that illusion of me faded into the mist, leaving the Demon Slayer alone.

Spikes of ice pierced the ground around her, this time _much_ stronger than the ones before as they pierced the Kishikaisei and latched it to the ground. Larger ice spikes erupted in a circle around her as the mist cleared, revealing her to be trapped in the ice-cage that the spikes had formed. The space between two spikes was far too small for her to slip through, and for added measure I curled icy tendrils around her body, holding her in place as the anger still burned alongside a camouflaged surprise.

“As it seems you Demon Slayers never learn from your mistakes. Don’t worry – I’ll be sure to set them straight when I get around to paying them a visit.”

Drawing back my bow as my true figure appeared outside of the cage, the crystalline arrow was aimed at her heart… when a small voice made me falter.

“You’re too late.”

“What?”

She stared at me, defiant eyes filling with tears as the situation she was in was revealed to her companions.

“Sango!”

“Oh no!”

“Wait, Miroku, you can’t-!”

“What do you mean, ‘too late’?” I slowly returned the bowstring to its starting position, letting the crystalline arrow disintegrate between my fingertips, “I have unfinished business there: don’t tell me they’ve managed to ruin themselves before I could?”

Her silence said everything.

“…Naraku killed them all.”

“Hmph. A second demon-of-demons should’ve been nothing to the Demon Slayers if they had continued to advance as they were.” I scowled, “I suppose I just have another reason for…”

A strange shift in the half-demon’s energy drew my attention away from the Demon Slayer and as a result the words died on my tongue. The two brothers had shifted in their fight, and the human group had shifted because of it. Currently, I was watching them from behind on Sesshōmaru’s right: enough so that I could still see Inuyasha around his form as a fair buffer area for their fight was between us. Inuyasha’s group had moved to the sidelines on Sesshōmaru’s left: probably the reason the monk hadn’t used his wind-palm during my fight with the Demon Slayer. From what I could tell the half-demon seemed to have been blinded by Sesshōmaru’s poison, and Sesshōmaru was about to finish the fight…

But something about this swirling energy… it was dangerous.

It only took a moment for me to understand why before I was running as fast as I could to Sesshōmaru, but the shout of warning I gave was unintentional, “Lord Sesshōmaru!”

The half-demon was about to use the Wind Scar: and seeing as how that attack tore the ground apart far from the original swing, there was no way I could avoid it. And if _I_ was caught in the Wind Scar, there was no way I would be able to survive… So, there was only one way to make it out of this mess: grab onto the Tenseiga and hope that its power would stop the Wind Scar from decimating me.

But, if that didn’t work as I wanted, then I needed to bolster my chances of surviving this strike as much as I could.

With that in mind, I cooled my body’s temperature harshly as I directed the energy I had placed in the ground to pool in front of me, staying that way as I dashed ahead. From the corners of my eyes I could see my pale skin turn a ghostly blue, and I felt ice crystals stick to my hair and the garments I wore as I got closer to Sesshōmaru as Inuyasha swung the Tessaiga, cutting through the Wind Scar. I held my breath, my heart’s pulse thundering through my head as I forced the energy I had pooled ahead of me to shoot between the brothers as a thick Ice Wall rose. It was easier to do in my true form: Ice-Skin, I called it. Staying at a warmer temperature kept some of my more advanced techniques unavailable, but it also made any sort of fire attacks less deadly (though I still didn’t do to well with them) and made it easier to interact with the world instead of freezing anything that came too close.

Even now, I was leaving a trail of snow behind me.

But, now that I had Ice-Skin: my regular techniques required less energy to use and became stronger as a result of letting my body circulate my energy as it wished.

As the Wind Scar cut my Ice Wall to pieces, my left arm wrapped around Sesshōmaru’s waist as I tucked my head and neck behind his body to protect them. My other arm wrapped around Sesshōmaru’s front as I sent my energy coursing through it to boost my unrestrained healing abilities in the parts that would be struck by the attack. Intense pain wracked through my body as the Wind Scar dug into my flesh, tearing my kimono’s arm and causing cold blood to seep through the wound as it was cut, healed, and recut countless times as the swirling demonic energy cyclically whipped around my form.

The pain only doubled as my fingers wrapped around the hilt of the Tenseiga.

White-hot lightning wrapped around my fingertips before coursing up my arm and spreading through my body as the Tenseiga revealed just how much it _despised_ being wielded by the one who wasn’t its chosen wielder. My teeth bit down into my arm as my head tucked into the crook of my elbow to stop myself from crying out: to stop myself from releasing my hold on the hilt as I drew the katana in front of both of us. As it crossed over Sesshōmaru’s chest, I repositioned myself to hide behind the Great Demon’s body fully as the sword pulsed in my hand.

Even as it worked to save us, though, it did not surrender the waves of pain it pounded into my body.

And as the smell of singed flesh and my blood consumed my senses, everything went white.

My body disobeyed me, releasing the hilt of the Tenseiga as well as the demon lord – the thing that had probably protected me from the majority of the attack.

My energy disobeyed me, the blue fading from the skin my clenched jaw drew blood from.

The shrouding energy I used to disguise the jewel shard’s presence failed.

And then I was floating in nothing but white.

* * *

 O

* * *

_“Oh-ho! So, the rumours were right… Kishikaisei certainly lives up to its name!”_

_It was bright, and I couldn’t yet make sense of the world as my body pieced itself together again. It was a male who had found me: deep voice, albeit cheery._

_Demon._

_The energy that formed in front of me was strong; powerful. Powerful enough to finally be able to break the seals. Powerful enough to free me… but also powerful enough to end me if I wasn’t careful._

_A Great Demon._

_“Oh? And what do the rumours say?” I grinned, “It must be quite the interesting stories if a Great Demon decided to see for himself.”_

_It had been a while since I had last been out…_

_How long?_

_It was cool… with the hints of a warm sunny day trying to break through the clouds… Autumn?_

_What year?_

_…Did it even matter anymore?_

_“Oh, a little of this, and a little of that.”_

_“Liar.” Fool! Bite your tongue: this is a Great Demon! “A Great Demon has better things to do than track down a sword. You heard of something I can do, and you want me to do it for you. Am I wrong?”_

_Fool. Now he won’t help. And if he won’t help, you’ll never break this infuriating cycle…_

_“Ahahaha! Not wrong at all, girl! You’re pretty sharp, you know that?” His face fell, growing serious as he turned, staring out to the horizon, “I’ve been looking to prepare for my death.”_

_What did a Great Demon know of death?_

_“How moving.”_

_“I heard you were well-versed in charms and spells: the stories call you the Demon Priestess. I’ve got some work for you if you’re willing – not for free, of course. You help me, I’ll help you: that sorta thing.”_

_“Tempting.” I smiled, stepping up to him as he turned around, “But I think that it can start with you helping me: we both need some sort of assurance that this will be a fruitful endeavor… So, you’ll help me undo the seal on my sword’s sheathe. Then, I’ll help you with your death wish. Then, after that’s done, you’ll help me break the seal on the sword and we part ways.”_

_I’m sick of this._

_“Death wish?”_

_“Those who plan their death plan to die.” I folded my arms across my chest, “Do we have a deal, Great Demon?”_

_If he refuses, I’ll take my leave._

_I’m sick of this._

_I’m sick of trying to completely escape this fate._

_If this negotiation fails, I’ll disappear: who cares if that sword remains dangerous to my freedom if no one can find me?_

_“Well, then!” He chuckles, “Straight to business, huh? Can’t say I’m not interested to see how I would be able to help break a seal… You’ve got yourself a deal, Demon Priestess.”_

_His hand engulfed mine as we shook on it: a strangely human gesture he initiated._

_“Call me Tōga.”_

_“…Inoue.”_

* * *

O

* * *

 

A twig cracked.

My eyes flew open, senses searching for what the cause of the sound was as I struggled to figure out why my body didn’t move as I wanted it to. Now that my eyes scanned the area, I couldn’t tell where I was or how I got there. I was lying on top of a blanket of snow, with the snowflakes that were drifting down slowly adding to the white surface drawing my attention as I noticed how the surrounding trees were covered in a sheet of frost. Sprawling branches that entangled above my head had a coating of ice on them as a slow wind shifted the snow into the air.

…Winter?

A foot pressed into the snow, then another.

It was coming from… there.

A little girl ducked behind a tree trunk, shivering as she peaked from behind it: her fingers curled around the frozen bark as if it would shield her from my gaze. Her brown eyes matched my gaze: curious, surprised… but not fearful. Long black hair drifted in the wind, a part of it trapped in a ponytail sprouting from the top of her hair. She wore a dirty, tattered red kosode* that went just below her knees.

Human.

I turned my gaze away: a human was no concern of mine at the moment as my mind pieced together the series of events that had gotten me here.

My body ached, and while I couldn’t feel any remaining open wounds, I had no feeling in my right arm: probably due to Tenseiga’s rejection… It wouldn’t pass anytime soon: my healing ability couldn’t fix it as well as it could the Tessaiga’s doing so I’d have to wait it out. My chest hurt a little more than normal: probably just a result of almost dying and using up a lot of my energy to keep myself from losing any limbs or bleeding out…

Which would mean my exhaustion was justified.

I forced my body to sit up, keeping as much weight off of my right arm as pain still coursed through it at the lightest touch. Blinking away the instinctual tears away from the corners of my eyes, I realized the blue-ness of my skin. Sucking in a deep breath at the splitting headache that started as I used what little remained of my energy to warm my body and restart the shielding over the jewel shard that was still on my body…

Did that pseudo-priestess realize I had the shard on me before…?

Before what?

How in the world did I get here?

Was it the Tenseiga saving its master and taking me along for the ride?

Or had Sesshōmaru managed this escape from certain death?

All questions for another time.

Pushing myself onto my feet despite my body’s best protests, I wobbled as I tried to gain my balance. Digging Katashi’s bow into the ground to act as a stabilizer as my world reoriented itself, I noticed how heavy my breathing was. Taking another look around my surroundings, it was clear to see that I had caused the snow to settle in the mostly-green forest. Sesshōmaru was nearby, but his energy told me he hadn’t come out of this unscathed either.

What would be better? Meeting up with him now, or later?

I wasn’t in the best state myself, but seeing him while he’s more vulnerable than he’d probably like to be seen as isn’t the best use of my time…

I’d rest for now and see how things were after I had regained some of my strength: when I could think properly.

Stumbling out of the snowy area of my own make, I sent an uninterested glance towards the human that was still clutching onto the tree as I passed by. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but the words died on her tongue as I turned my gaze away and kept up my staggering pace until I had moved far enough from the snow. It wouldn’t be good if other demons were around here with me in this state…

But Sesshōmaru’s Great Demon aura would probably keep them at bay, even if I was only in the outermost part of it. Outermost part of it to those who weren’t as attuned to energy as I was, I mean.

Using Katashi’s bow as a walking stick as I kept my right arm as still as possible (but then getting shocked by the pain even though I was _sure_ I hadn’t moved it), I made my way further through the trees. I stumbled occasionally, but I managed to catch myself from falling (at the price of another blast of pain travelling up my arm). When the world started turning again, I found a tree and slid down its trunk: vaguely noticing that my quiver was missing from my body as my back met no resistance to the motion.

I had everything else… just not the quiver or the arrows it contained.

Well, out of everything, it was the only thing I could lose without being put at a disadvantage, so I’d deal with that later. When the world wasn’t spinning, and my head didn’t feel like it was splitting in half.

I closed my eyes, focusing on keeping track of any demonic or spiritual energy that could pose a threat as I decided to rest here for the foreseeable future.

A hint of a scowl curled my lips as I realized the human girl had followed me and was hiding behind another tree as she watched me.

“If you’re just going to stand there, girl, go do it elsewhere. It’d be far more entertaining, I can assure you.”

Another twig snapped, and a sigh pushed through my lips as I opened my eyes again: squinting as the light made my headache worse. The girl had stepped out around the tree, holding what looked like some sort of container for water as she gingerly closed the distance between herself and me. Soon enough, she was beside me, staring with bright brown eyes at my form as I met her with an unenthused stare.

“What do you want, human?”

She shuffled to the left of me, sitting herself down against the tree trunk as well while continuing to look at me with concern. My scowl deepened, but as she wordlessly set the water container in my hand it lessened slightly. With a final glance towards her and then towards the water, I drew my lips into a firm line before drinking from the container.

“Suit yourself. Don’t blame me when I eat you.” 

* * *

  ***Please Note***

* * *

  ***Kosode:** a Japanese robe for both men and women that have a looser fit than the kimono and com in varying lengths. They are worn with an obi that is smaller than the one worn with the kimono. Literally means ‘small sleeve’.

* * *

O

* * *

Woot Woot! Now that Rin's joined the party, we can keep chugging along to breaking down some walls and whatnot!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Rin, Nozo, and Sesshy.

NOZO GOING ON A LITTLE EXCURSION WITH OUR ADORABLE RAY OF SUNSHINE?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

The road to Tokijin is paved?

How will Rin's arrival change things between Sesshy and Nozo?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	15. A Festering Wound

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 15: A Festering Wound

A blink, a deep inhale, and the light of mid-afternoon flooded my senses as I tried to make sense of the world around me.

I found myself upright, standing upon a tatami flooring that collected the drops of blood falling from my hands in pools that couldn’t stain the padding fast enough. Wooden walls that had been covered by rice paper – splotches of red blooming across it like a field of scarlet spider lilies… A body, dead, on the floor. Flayed, by razor-sharp claws as the gouging gashes on his chest was any indication. A familiar sword glistened, removing my eyes from the crimson pools to that which dripped from the blade’s edges. A scowl formed across my lips – deepening the angry lines of the furious expression that I wore. My body thrummed as it produced a low, continuous growl without my consent.

My body failed to listen – failed to obey me as I could only stand there with heaving breaths and that low growl that permeated the room. The one that dusted off the memories of the village I was born into: a _lifetime_ ago. Shadows of demons who were nothing but beasts who acted on anger and pride – old memories that quickly were brushed aside as soon enough my mind refused me as well. And I was lost to that seething burn that raised my hairs and flushed my skin with a molten heat.

And all I could see was that blade, glinting at me through the crimson splotches that hid its metal sheen.

My heart was filled with a furious flurry of contradicting emotions and I couldn’t understand _why_. The only thing I understood was that a thin line across my chest _burned_ , and that only made me _angrier_ , and that only morphed my face further into emotions that only flickered for a moment across my face before changing once more. The fickleness of my features was exhausting: I could feel the muscles beneath my brow ache as it morphed into crinkled lines of confusion before deep rifts of anger took over once more. The roiling muscles across my face refused to stop – as I couldn’t find it in myself to force them to. Part of me believed that my expression was devoid of any sort of inclination of the storm that rolled _just_ under the surface… Part of me knew that _couldn’t_ be true but refused to accept it. Refused to accept anything. The emotion, the blood, the pain, the blood _lust_ , the…

Disgust.

There was disgust in those shifting emotions.

What was it about that human’s corpse that sickened me?

What was it about the claws that covered my fingertips that made my stomach churn?

Why did the sword make my heart sink and _burn_ and _freeze_ all at once?

What did I despise _so_ much about this situation?

My surroundings shifted, and while I clearly remembered being in that small wooden room, I found that I was unable to recall how I had gotten outside. Why there were several people surrounding me – blocking my exits – as I cut the rope from my ankle. It was cold: cold enough to have the beginnings of frost settle on the recently dislodged roof tile, cold enough to question why I was still burning with anger. Why the blood on my fingers still felt warm and sticky and _wrong_.

What was wrong about it? It only came from humans.

Weak humans. Not strong enough to see past their misjudgments, weak enough to fuel such foolishness. Weak enough to stare me down as if _I_ had done something wrong. _They_ were wrong. _They_ were always wrong. _They_ were the ones who forced my bloodied hands to repay all their cold looks and fierce lies. Seething lies that washed over my skin when spoken and _burned_ me just as well if they had poured boiling water over my form. _They_ were the ones who had tricked _me_. How dare they. How _dare_ they. _How **dare** they?_

The crimson that stained my hands belonged to a human who dared to believe that _I_ owed _him_. That by drawing that _damned_ sword I would be bound to him.

I let out a laugh, one that was cold and grating. One I couldn’t recognize. One that displayed every _inch_ of fury that somehow managed to be contained within my being.

The only thing I owed him was a swift death.

Just like the rest of them.

I understood it now – the killing games that demons played. The endless preying on humans for entertainment. I understood it _so_ clearly now. How wrong I was. They were such weak creatures, and all they did was throw around their perceived power when it meant _nothing_. Like all things _owed_ them just because they believe it to be they’re entitled to it. They were far lesser than me – why had I spent this much effort?

Why had the smallest part of me wished that _they_ could become so much _more_?

It was impossible.

Pointless.

A waste.

Hateful shouts and warnings erupted from the gathered crowd and deafened me: and standing in the middle of the cross-section I had walked many times before. This time, I stood alone against the throngs of humans who had done nothing but take advantage of my merciful nature. They couldn’t _trust_. So, they couldn’t be _trusted_. They were selfish creatures that only looked after themselves, only cared for themselves, only trusted themselves. There wasn’t any room for anything else in those hateful minds. I should never have hoped there could be anything more than _this_. This hatred, this fear, this cacophony of sound that soothed as much as it isolated and shattered me.

I shouldn’t have trust any of _them_.

In the noise, I could forget everything.

I could forget everything I _tried_ to be. Everything _she_ wanted me to be. Everything I had ever rejected about my heritage and everything I accepted from it. Everything I _failed_ to be. I could forget it all, and just _be_ that spiteful, mindless creature that they have always seen.

And, just like firing an arrow from a bowstring, it would be _easy_.

It would be so, so, _so_ **_easy_ ** to fall into that void of nothingness – that welcoming feeling of not feeling anything. To finally ‘ _embrace what I truly was’_ , since in the end, that’s all I ever _would_ be.

…Just so I could forget about everything that had shattered inside myself when I saw that hatred in his eyes. So, I could forget about that **_damned sword_** and the life she had thrown me into without any care.

Then I could forget the way my heart thundered in my chest, how it crashed against my ribcage as it somehow lodged itself into my throat. How my lungs seemed to poison the air it breathed in, how every shuddered breath felt like thousands of blades ripping through my insides. That every _moment_ spent thinking how much I’d rather be something I’m not was _dangerous_ in a way I thought it could never be before. How the _hurt_ was the reminder that…

**_I’m here and she’s not_.**

But even as the noise made me forget, my eyes forced me to remember as they focused on that one figure I thought I could still trust in a village filled with my enemies. His brown eyes filled with that hatred: every moment and memory replaced and erased with the whispers _they_ ushered into the ears of any who would listen – any who were fearful.

…I thought _you_ wouldn’t be afraid of me.

Even as you had aged beyond your sister. Even as your body was old and frail, and your hair had lost its youthful lustre… I thought I would never see that coldness reflecting from the eyes you shared with your sister. Not when your small hands used to clutch at my kimono so eagerly whenever we returned. Not with those secret glances we shared when you were hiding under fallen logs and arched root, so your sister wouldn’t realize you had snuck out again.

But, yet again, I was wrong.

And it made me angry.

My surroundings whirled around once more, and I felt metal consume me. A hitched breath, eyelids fluttering as I watched my blood drip from the blade and pool against my stomach. The angry grooves running across my forehead smoothed, and I was left only with the anguish it was hiding. My body returned to me, and with that realization, my fingers twitched as that consuming cloud that shrouded my consciousness faded. Lodged into his chest, the slowing beat of the heart matching my own convulsed around my piercing grasp.

Scowling bitterly, I decided to cling to this. This agony that coursed through my veins, _feeding_ the starved demon I had tried _so_ _hard_ to rid myself of after I left that village. The one that cared too little. The one that cared too much. The one that threw everything away just for that _taste_ of vengeance to cleanse the anger I cultivated carefully.

_“What a fool I was…”_ I spat those words at him like a curse, though it was directed at myself.

The world spun, disassembling into the darkness it was birthed from not too long ago. I fought back the frustration when my eyes glistened tearfully, focusing on sculpting a defiant look instead of noting the terror that clutched at me as the darkness neared.

“… _To believe I belonged **here**.”_

And then everything disappeared as a deeper wound festered inside me.

* * *

O

* * *

My eyes flashed open, and my body lurched upwards in sync with the gasp that ripped through the quiet air. Unsettled, the feeling found a place in the pit of my stomach. Try as I might, it wouldn’t fade even as I attempted to ignore it. Greedily, I gulped down the cool air that rustled the leaves above me as I glanced around me, adrenaline rushing through my body as I looked for any sort of danger.

I found none.

What I could see of the sky was grey, clouded over just enough to stop the sunlight from bearing down on the land, but didn’t do much to obscure the bright light that filtered through the trees. Squinting my eyes at the contrast, I warily kept close watch on my surroundings as I waited for my racing heart to calm.

It was just a dream.

A memory.

I let out a small sigh as my right arm still hung limply at my side. The slight movement sent an electric pain shooting through the limb with the subtle brush of skin against the ground and my kimono. Considering that it was attempting to fix itself after being rejected by the Tenseiga and sliced by the Tessaiga, it was a miracle it was still attached. So, I tried not to feel irked by the pain of a thousand needles pressing tightly against the skin in comparison.

Instead, I decided to be annoyed by the angry pulsing of the scar line over my heart as the thunderous beating slowed. It stung, as it usually did after such a dream, but soon enough the itching pain ended just as my heart relaxed – or rather, I suppressed the feeling as I focused on other, more important, things.

Such as making my way over to Sesshōmaru.

It had been a few days, and I grow more and more restless with each passing day. I had thought that remaining still for a while would aid in the healing process but at this point I was wanting to move on again. I wasn’t getting any closer to ridding myself of the scattered traces of Midoriko by resting – and the shorter the involvement I had with the demon lord, the less likely he’d leave me behind before he’s no longer useful.

Nodding to myself, I slid up the bark of the tree with the help of my left hand. The forest was still quiet – the animals that live nearby had been scared off by the lord’s presence in the area for a prolonged period. It was a perfect indication that it was time to move on already. My left hand ghosted over the sword that still found its place snugly against my hip.

Reaching down to grab Katashi’s bow with my left hand, I started the walk further into the forest. My muscles ached – Tenseiga’s refusal of my touch seemed to do quite a number on my body. But, the tenderness of my body couldn’t be compared to the crippling pain in my right arm. Seeing as how Sesshōmaru’s energy hadn’t shifted from its place at all, it was safe to assume he was taking his time to heal… While the Tenseiga certainly did protect him from the majority of the wounds he would’ve sustained (that is, if he didn’t get obliterated first), it was still the _Tessaiga_. A weapon forged from a Great Demon’s fang – and an old one at that, too. It was unsettling to think about the power the demon lord would grow into with age – from what little I knew of Tōga’s power, he was already quite close to that range of power.

An involuntary shiver ran down my spine.

Great Demons were amazing. With that amount of power, most life-threatening situations for regular demons could be shrugged off like brushing a leaf that landed lightly on the body. It meant no grovelling under those stronger than you – as you were the strongest. The times I had to subject myself to such a thing _still_ left a bitter taste in my mouth: the unfortunate reality for the ruthless world demons thrive in. I wouldn’t have it any other way, either. With demons, I knew exactly where I stood upon the first meeting: whoever had the most power was to be held in the higher regard.

With humans… They complicated everything that was simple with ‘morality’ and whatnot.

But, those thoughts are merely the remainder of a dream. Of a life long ago – one that didn’t matter at all in this one. With that, I pushed the thoughts away and forged onwards through the branches and over the curled roots that lined the forest floor. With the morning sunlight still silently pouring through the canopy, I found Lord Sesshōmaru’s form leaning against a tree trunk. Ivy wrapped around the tree, tangling its vines from root to branch, making the lord’s striking white hair and fur train stand out more so than usual. His golden eyes had found my figure already, the anger born from frustration boiling under the hue as his face was as impassive as ever. Well… actually, that’s not quite true.

Seems like irritation was the only emotion his face freely morphed into: the eyebrows pulled in tighter together, the slight squinting of the eyes, the way the line of his mouth was pulled downwards ever-so-slightly. With a quick scan of his injuries, it seemed that most of them had healed well – the blood that stained his skin and clothes was old. The rips in the fabric were still there, so he must be too weak to keep up appearances… Well, with all his energy going towards healing himself, no wonder he looked decent for getting hit with the Wind Scar. And, with how he was leaned against the tree, not matching the contemplative pose I saw him in frequently when he sat, his body had probably stopped him from moving so it could heal properly… It was a little refreshing to see so much with only a glance.

While I _did_ enjoy seeing a Great Demon in this state – proving once again that even they aren’t infallible – now wasn’t the time to comment on it.

I briefly thought of doing so anyway, but reason seemed to win over amusement for once. I still needed to make sure I didn’t annoy him enough to have him leave me behind when our goals are still aligned…

So, I approached silently. Meeting the warning in his gaze defiantly as I coolly ignored it. As expected, he didn’t need (but mostly, didn’t _want_ ) my help or my presence. Too bad he couldn’t do anything about it right now. And what I decided to avoid in speech, I more than made up for in action.

As I went to kneel beside him, it was his voice that broke the silent conversation we shared, “I don’t need your help.” It was a snarled comment, eyes glaring into my own with a quiet anger. His voice didn’t waver and was strong in its refusal in my aid.

Like father, like son: both just as foolish as the other.

“You mistake me for someone who cares for your needs, Lord Sesshy.” Too bad I was used to hearing such comments when doing my job, and so was well-versed in ignoring them completely, “As I’ve told you before; I’m not that imp of yours, so don’t think for a second that I’m acting without my own interests in mind.”

The glaring intensified briefly, the golden eyes flashing with anger, but after a few moments they cooled as they looked off into the distance. Rather than seeming to be a dismissal of my words, the lord’s gaze fixed on something beyond the trees as it approached – now that I listened for it I heard the not-so-subtle rummaging of a body through the forest. Seeing as how I hadn’t picked up any demonic energy (and seeing as how Sesshōmaru was relatively unconcerned with their appearance), I focused my attention on healing the Great Demon.

Placing Katashi’s bow to the side, my left hand hovered above the lord’s curved stomach as it dipped to follow the curve of the roots he sat in. I felt his gaze flick towards me again, but I pointedly ignored it. While it wasn’t as efficient as direct contact with the body, I figured that touching him right now might result in me losing a hand. Which wouldn’t be the _worst_ , but it certainly wouldn’t be a favourable outcome either…

So, hand hovering an inch above his body, I guided my demonic energy into Sesshōmaru’s wounded body. Just as before, there was no way I could match his energy, so the only way that my intrusive energy wouldn’t be rejected would be for the patient to allow my energy to flow in tandem with their own. As weak as I was, having the Great Demon’s energy attack mine would be… bad. Very bad. So, for just a second, I met the gaze that still watched me carefully.

And with it came a challenge: _Reject it. I dare you._

It was infuriating how he _still_ had all the power when he was so far from his usual level of strength. But, that was how things were. And he _knew_ it. Sure, the pride of the demon lord was expected: his immediate refusal of my approach was merely a reaction of that. Certainly, his pride as a Great Demon would lead him to refuse my services a number of times… But if I knew anything of the wayfaring demon it was that he hated being stuck in one place as much as I did.

Surely someone as smart as Sesshōmaru could see that there was more benefit than harm in healing him quickly?

If not, this was a perfect chance to lay his foolish pride as the boundary that _would not_ be crossed.

Just like his father.

But the second ended, and my eyes returned to their work as I felt no resistance come from Lord Sesshōmaru’s energy. Focusing my attention on guiding my energy to the areas that needed the most help with the recovery, I vaguely understood who had approached. The same human girl who had approached me had also apparently found Sesshōmaru as well and settled down next to me at the lord’s side. I felt her gaze on me for a moment, before offering Sesshōmaru an uncooked lizard and mouse on a broad leaf. A curious offering, confirming that the little girl was… stranger than I first thought her to be.

“Don’t bother.” From the corner of my eye, I saw the little girl let out a silent sigh as her excitement faded into what seemed to be disappointment.

Sesshōmaru’s cold response was a little harsh, perhaps… But necessary. Humans only caused trouble when they thought themselves capable of understanding the way of demons. Better for them to not get involved than to quit half-way through. The girl had probably been lucky enough to not be in a hungry demon’s path – if she had, this child’s innocent behaviour in dealing with us would be non-existent.

“What happened to your face?” My eyes darted to Sesshōmaru, who had turned his face away from the both of us to look off into this distance. This time, however, it was to ignore our looks.

Why did he care what had happened to the child? Sure, she might have brought him things as she did with myself (which I assume he promptly refused)… But that couldn’t possibly be enough to get attached? To a _human_ child?

Of course.

Just when I thought I was beginning to understand him, it turns out that I don’t understand him at all.

I spied the girl from the corner of my eye, seeing her open her mouth but no sound came out. As if the words got caught in her throat and she was left making these breathy sounds she soon gave up on. But, looking at her now, I could see what the lord was talking about. The little girl had all kinds of bruises and cuts on her face – the skin swelling into sickening welts that were darkening in the middle of the yellow sheen. Seeing how she never had any interaction with demons… did humans do this? To a _child_?

“…You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

She smiled at that. With all sorts of bruises on her face pulling at her skin, she smiled as if she didn’t have a care in the world with that simple statement…

I shrugged off the girl, refusing to get caught up in another human’s life, and withdrew my energy from Sesshōmaru. While there wasn’t much left to heal, the body still experienced a shock, and because of that it was refusing to move until the healing process had been completed. Now, with what little remains of his healing, Sesshōmaru should be ready to leave this place shortly.

Giving me just enough time to see if this village the girl comes from carried any quivers.

Standing up, I retrieved Katashi’s bow and slung it over my shoulder. Holding it in place loosely, I turned to walk from Sesshōmaru, “Come, girl. I will return you to your village before we leave.” With a pointed look behind me at Sesshōmaru, but his eyes only met mine as he matched my gaze until I looked away.

The girl glanced between me and Sesshōmaru, turning her whole body in order to do so as she stood up. Within a moment, as I started walking the direction she came from, I heard her hurry after me.

I couldn’t care less about walking the girl back – I just wanted to check if there were any quivers I could acquire (forcefully or not). Not only that, but humans and demons had no place with each other – something this human cub seemed to make Sesshōmaru forget readily. He, of all demons, I thought would understand that. There was no way I would let that fester, not when I needed him to continue searching for Naraku instead of fussing over a _human_ _child_.

Besides, the demon lord probably needed some time to restore his pride. Which is _very_ hard to do with someone watching.

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Been busy with a project over the summer, so unfortunately didn't have time to write... But now that the semester's gonna be coming back soon, I hope to start writing fanfiction again!

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Rin, Nozo, and Sesshy.

NOZO GOING ON A LITTLE EXCURSION WITH OUR ADORABLE RAY OF SUNSHINE?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

The road to Tokijin is paved?

How will Rin's arrival change things between Sesshy and Nozo?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3


	16. Smothered Thoughts

Lone Scarlet Lily, Hidden in the World of Snow: Waiting for the Spring.

Chapter 16: Smothered Thoughts

Little brown eyes watched me as I contemplated my next move. From the looks of it, the village was far too small for what I wanted: the head of the village had told me that the farmers and fishermen of the village had no real need for quivers – those that  _did_  have some training had left to search glory in the form of war. In my time, the only wars humans really fought were against the demon hordes that descended upon them. From what I gathered, this time was far more tumultuous: humans fighting one another for control over more land and whatnot. Nothing was gained from this excursion: only the knowledge that humans were far more exhausting to deal with than what I could recall. The instinct my body had now acquired was exhausting. Humans posed me no threat – the one thing that could easily seal me away was strapped to my side safely.

It was foolish for my muscles to tense, ready to fight or flee in a moment's notice  _ **only**_  because of some pathetic humans that milled about.

My eyes flashed towards the child that had followed behind me closely as I explored the small wooden huts that formed to village. The bruises on her face had soured slightly during my investigation, and it seemed that her right eye had swollen shut. A pitiful sight for a cub, really… but it wasn't my concern. And any show of pity could be easily mistaken for affection if you allow it.

So, I wouldn't.

"Tch. I'm getting sick of looking at you." I held out my hand towards the girl, who had been faithfully keeping her distance as she trailed behind me, "Come here."

I waited, patiently, as the girl nervously inched closer my extended hand. When she came close enough, I placed my palm against her shoulder before running my fingers up her neck and cupping her face with the one hand that could still function properly. While I didn't have much energy left, healing a human of bruises was easy – and there was no way a weak cub could resist my powers.

"Hold still." Energy rushed to my palm, and as she jolted her face back slightly with a gasp at the sensation, I merely followed her through the expected movement.

Within moments of directing my energy across the girl's skin, the welts scattered across her face faded and the swelling of her eye receded. As I pulled my hand away, finished drawing back my energy, she uncertainly blinked the eye in confusion. Her face contorted in discomfort, her eyes not focused on my but rather the tip of her nose, before her rapid blinking ended her confusion as she darted her brown orbs at our surroundings. As she made the motion to meet my eyes with her own, I turned away.

"Run along home now, cub. The forest is no place for little ones." Walking along the path to return to lord Sesshōmaru, I called out to her, "Especially when I've heard there are demons roaming around these parts." I couldn't get more than five steps before the sound of little feet thundering across the dirt alerted me moments before little arms captured my legs in their grasp. I clumsily managed to keep myself from knocking the cub over as I stilled my movement after surprise handed back control over my body. Her body was warm, as humans usually were, and that spread of heat across my skin creased my brow as my teeth sharply dug into my lip.

Rationally, it hadn't been all too long since I felt warmth of another pressing against my skin – retrieving arrows from the corpses of bandits, tightening my fingers around the human  _priestess's_  neck… reattaching lord Sesshōmaru's arm… But it had been quite some time since anyone had been the one touching me without the intent to harm. Though, this human girl was doing far more damage than any other foe as my heart constricted at the sight of the girl's beaming smile.

It was then that I felt it – the tendrils of the past reaching for any sort of grip on my mind. For the slightest possibility the shadow of who I was could climb out of the void I had frozen shut long ago. That despicable  _longing_  I had pushed away bubbled to the forefront of my mind. The revolting  _need_ to find someone, anyone, who I could trust to understand me as easily as breathing – who was  _supposed_  to be there for me. I had tried to fill that need long ago, and it only brought with it a lifetime of misery and blistering rage.

Nozomi Inoue had no need for such unnecessary, unwanted, things.

And I would be damned if I let myself stoop to such a foolish level as to ingest poison when I knew it to behave as such. With that thought, the putrid bubble popped, and settled back down in the lowest depths of my heart, where it readily froze over again. By the time I settled my thoughts, the child had gone, and my features had molded themselves into the snow itself: cold, aloof, and undiscerning.

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My heart was beating fast, though the blood that flowed through my veins didn't warm my body. I relished in it, the cold that was embedded into my form, the deathly-blue tint to the flesh that marked my heritage, the contrast it made with the blanket of blood that covered my hand… I relished in it all.  _This_  was what I was.  _This_  was what I craved.  _This_ …  _this_  would…

I stared at my hand, watching the way the blood mapped the crevasses of my skin. The way it glistened from my frozen fingertips, leaving sticky trails down my curled fingers before spilling through the gaps where the skin met with my open palm. My eyes lost their focus, and the sight of my bloodied hand faded from importance as I turned my attention to my other senses. The thundering in my chest slowed, and with it so did the exertion of my lungs. I felt the blood trickle down the back of my forearm, tickling the hairs implanted in my skin, as it continued its path downwards. As the weight of the liquid pooled at my elbow, I briefly thought of wiping away the droplet, as it would fall from my cooled skin only to be caught by my kimono… but it was a red colour, so it didn't matter. And the thought, just like the weight that had caught on the point of my elbow, dropped away. As more blood fled down my arm, more drops catching in the fabric of my kimono, more thoughts fell away, too. Until I was left with the one I dearly wanted to drop, like all the others.

_This_ … would do what?

It was a dangerous thought; the ones that wouldn't drop typically were. Even when I was reassured, each time the thought was alone, that it would do  _something_. That it would take back all those years. That it would make me strong. That it would prove that I was right, and she was wrong – because the strong were always _right_. That it would fix the scar that crossed my heart. That it would keep me moving. That it… would somehow fill that dreadfully hollow feeling that had been following me around.

Such reassurances were foolish, not to mention unnecessary.

…

My thoughts stalled, mind unwilling to form the answer that it would reject. The answer that  _I_  would reject.

So, once again, my mind reassured me.

And, once again, the thought was smothered.

My eyes moved from left to right, taking in the scene that surrounded me almost as if it was the first time I had looked upon it. It wasn't: but snapping out of thoughts like those always blurred the vision of what was around me presently with a murky grey screen that shut everything else out. The scent of wolf registered long before the unmoving bodies of about four of them did. They were scattered across the road that cut through the forest, and the blood that stuck my skin together uncomfortably reeked of the same smell. Lowering my hand, allowing the claws that adorned them to melt and drop from my fingertips to the path below, I scanned the treeline.

Four demon-wolves was a bad omen.

Wolf-demons usually accompanied large amounts of demon-wolves: their sheer numbers could be overwhelming, if not accounted for. My previous run-in with their kind hadn't been too difficult: a splinter group from the joining of two tribes in the east had been making a lot of trouble – but they were well-trained in teamwork and using that to their advantage in battle. An annoying swarm, which in my current state was better to avoid. I don't need  _more_  of a disadvantage.

"Ah!" A startled gasp broke the air, and the sound of heavy breaths turned my attention to the direction I had come from.

The girl in the red kosode appeared from the trees, stumbling down the bank of the forest onto the path as her frightened eyes never left my form. A moment later, three demon-wolves sped down the slope after her, before skidding to a stop. Three sets of eyes swept over me and the demon-wolves across the path, and with only a second's pause, three snouts lifted to the air and cried out.

"Awoooooooooo!"

A scowl splayed itself against my lips as I watched the demon-wolves icily before turning the glare onto the child. Her clothes were coated in dirt, and several tears bared the thin red scratches on her skin to me. As the teary-eyed child neared, wiping the wet tracks from her reddened cheeks, I pulled Kishikaisei from the sheath that hung loosely against my left hip. The sight of her reminded me of another time, and my heart throbbed painfully in my chest as I pointed the blade at her neck, stopping her in her tracks.

" _Don't_ _ **touch**_ _me_."

She stilled at the growl that came from me, muscles in her little body tensing in order to keep herself from the sharpened edge and sniffled quietly. Her eyes searched mine, the terror somehow having left her already, and nodded as she wiped away her tears.

She was a curious human.

But I didn't have time to add more to that thought, as the snarling of the demon-wolves alerted me to their reinforcements trickling through the foliage.

There were much more of them: about seven had answered the calls of their pack, and so I moved the blade away from the child's neck. She took this as a gesture to step away from the eleven wolves that now surrounded us, and closer to me. A misinterpretation of my intentions, of course, but there was no need to correct her. My inexperience with wielding a blade would probably only save one of us – and I knew which life I valued more between the two of us.

The saving of her life certainly wasn't an obligation that fell upon me – the human girl was neither  _my_  problem or concern.

A wolf leapt forwards, towards the girl, and out of instinct at the flash of fur and movement, I spun around the human cub. The metal of Kishikaisei flashed in the morning light that shone through the trees, and with a swing that felt neither good nor bad, demon blood coated the blade's edges. However, the wolf seemed to have sensed the danger it was in at the last second and avoided a fatal injury from my clumsy attack. A growl tore itself from my throat, ushering the wolves to match mine with their own.

While Kishikaisei was balanced beautifully for a man-made weapon, I wasn't half as elegant at imitating the motions I had watched its original owner work through while training. She had made what I considered to be a rather barbaric practice seem beautiful in its footwork and intricacy. From what I had witnessed while travelling with Sesshōmaru – a master swordsman with  _centuries_  of experience – it was an artform I should take more of an interest in learning. The intricate steps and decisions made in a split second to match and overwhelm an opponent… it was a power that I had stubbornly refused. Perhaps, now that I had a fine blade to guide me in this display, I should allow myself to be tempted by the skill.

My eyes certainly knew how to track an enemy's movement, but my body was left  _far_  behind the connection. A clumsy pattern of footfalls and hesitations that all but screamed that I was not used to close combat at all: my body always opted for steps that would gain me distance to think and plan and readjust…

But while my mind was aware a blade was of no use the further from a target you were, my body was still inexperienced in such notions. As I danced around the human child, an obstacle that cowered in place, my thoughts drifted towards fleeing more than once. But, the thought was always etched out with a fierce snarl. Fleeing was for weaker demons – of which I was not – and it was thoughtless when fighting against demon-wolves. Their pack was their life: even if I could use the girl as bait, it would only buy me a few seconds. The wolves would stop the girl from fleeing, which wasn't too hard of a task when a simple piercing of the throat would end most humans, and then come after me and the smell of demon-wolf blood that would linger on my fingers for a few days. A vengeful group of demons, for sure.

Running would only put me at a disadvantage, and when I was already dealing with so many disadvantages to begin with there was no way I would willingly accept another…

A few minutes passed in the same way: the wolves' lunges at the human girl behind me, and my counterstrike that would either force them to redirect themselves or would cut them through. Only two had fallen in this way, and one more was on the verge of death – the blade having cut through a lung, leading to a slow and heaving death. That still left eight demon-wolves. And they had stopped testing my defences and now encircled the cub and myself. The shift in tactics wouldn't be noticeable during the first encounter with the creatures, but as I had faced them before, the meaning behind their motions wasn't lost.

They weren't going to keep attacking one-by-one.

With a pained scowl, I forced the arm that hung limp by my side into action. It resisted, the surface skin not quite healed from its encounter with the Wind Scar, and I could feel the new skin pulling at itself as I reached into my obi. The sting along my arm blossomed into fiery pain as the skin ripped, blood pooling to the surface as heat lapped at the skin roughly. Furrowing my eyebrows from the pain that ricocheted up my arm, waking the buried aches from wielding the unwilling Tenseiga, I retrieved my small dagger from its sheath.

The Wind Scar certainly wasn't to be taken lightly – I had thought the wounds that had carved themselves into my flesh from a moment's exposure would have healed enough… But it seems even  _moving_ my own arm was enough to undo much of my work. If I wanted it to heal faster, then perhaps I should collect some herbs and apply a poultice… I'd have to collect them quickly: Sesshōmaru's never waited for anyone, and I ensured to not wander too far behind the lord and his ward to prevent being left behind. Though, he usually didn't walk off far enough for me to lose track of his energy.

Carefully spinning the blade around, so that the sharpened edge was opposite my thumb, I jabbed the dagger towards the next wolf that lunged to my right. The one who came at me directly was stabbed through the heart before the blade spun around in my hand as I danced to the side and slid the sword through the demon-wolf which was held in place by the small dagger (though it's feeble struggling caused more of my blood to seep into the fabric of my kimono). Six demon-wolves remaining. What a pain these creatures were.

Retracting the metal from the warmth of the dead demon-wolf, my gaze slid over to the girl as my breaths came in pants that clouded the air. My human appearance had been dropped for a while, and with it my body had cooled considerably as an icy pallor consumed my skin. However, even with dropping the energy used to keep my body warmer to the temperature it naturally is, I still had no energy left to freeze the ground underneath the demons. I scowled at the girl, the frightened eyes that met my gaze as she clutched at her hands and caved her body inwards. She was making herself as small as she could, crouching down as low as she could as she stayed put. My arm burned in pain, and the heat of blood flowing from the wounds scattered across the skin eventually drew my attention away from the girl.

My hand was clenched tightly around my dagger, my knuckles diverting the rivers of blood that flowed down my arm like mountains lining a valley with how they protruded in anger.

Anger… over what?

Over a human child that cowered at my feet?

Over the demons who were readying another onslaught of attacks?

No. Once again, I realized, this anger stemmed from my own weaknesses. This burning resentment that made me wish to watch all within my vision burn in the same manner, made me want to destroy everything until there was nothing left. It was a strange sensation, but I no longer had time to analyze it further as movement drew my attentions. The six wolves launched into an attack: four snarling jaws snapping at me, and two demon-wolves bounding towards the little girl.

In an instant, the decision as to who to protect was made, and my body adjusted itself accordingly with shifting  _towards_  the wolves attacking with Kishikaisei raising with the intention of forcing them to abandon their attacks. I had no connection with the child, and no obligation towards saving the girl: as I made sure to note at the start of this battle. The cub's life was of little concern to me.

But the little whimpered gasp that was pulled from her at the sight of the wolves approaching did little to prevent my mind from making connections where there were none. And those connections uncovered memories that made my body automatically move backwards, my target shifting to the two wolves that leapt at the teary-eyed child.

For a moment, for just a second, as my torso twisted in an attempt to stop the demon-wolves, when her brown eyes met my blue ones… I saw someone else standing in her place. He stood there, a relieved smile playing at the corners of his lips as the back of his hands rubbed the dewy streaks from his face. And in that moment, I was whisked back to the time where he looked on me fondly. Back when teasing him made his cheeks flare red, when there was always an impish grin thrown my way whenever I arched a brow at his childish actions. Back before his hands were wrinkled and his face sagged – those same eyes set in the body that had returned me to my own special hell. And even while my heart clenched painfully, causing the scar over the skin that concealed it to ache, it still called out to that time. To that human cub, in danger, powerless, afraid. My fingers stretched for the small form, releasing my dagger, in a rush of adrenaline I could only name as desperation.

_Hotaka!_

And then the moment was gone.

The imprint of his cheeky smile faded into the form of the girl with the tattered red yukata, and time seemed to finally have left my thoughts without recognition.

My fingertips brushed over the fabric of her yukata, and I clenched what little I could between my fingers before pulling the small human towards me. I could feel the heat of her body beneath the thin fabric, against the cold of my hand. The jaw of the demon-wolf closest to her snapped shut mere  _hairs_  away from the soft flesh of her leg just as I felt teeth sink into the flesh of my sword arm. With a wince, I swung down the blade onto the other demon-wolf that had targeted the girl. The teeth ripped at my flesh as the wolf's hind legs pressed into my side and shook its head from side to side as my blade claimed another wolf.

Out of instinct, the ground beneath me cracked with frost – the tendrils of what would normally act as the base of ice spikes erupting from the ground stopped short of doing anything productive. In fact, all it seemed to do was drain me of more energy. Gritting my teeth against the pain of another bite, this time spilling more blood down my right arm as the wolf launched itself onto my back and pierced my shoulder. With a low growl vibrating in my chest, I launched myself (with the human cub in tow) away from the other two wolves that snapped their jaws closed where my legs had previously been. But, knowing that they wouldn't let up on their attack so easily, I twisted in the air readied my sword again (though with the added weight of the wolf latched onto my arm).

However, surprisingly, the demon-wolves had stopped in their tracks.

While puzzled by their actions, I dropped the cub to the ground. Ignoring the searing protests of my arm (only letting out a hiss in response), the wolf biting onto my shoulder was ripped off (teeth tearing the skin and staining my kimono a darker red) and thrown down harshly onto the ground. It whimpered at the impact, and ripping the other wolf from my body, and knocking the first wolf down again before it could move out of the way by aiming the second at it. The two wolves snarled at each other as they got up, and I readied Kishikaisei again as I took a step back –

Right into someone.

Panic flared through my mind as I considered the fact that I didn't sense the approach of another demon. My heart thundered loudly in my chest as I whirled around with Kishikaisei twirling in my hand, ready to strike at this newcomer. The scent of the demon was familiar, though, and my sudden movement stalled as I caught sight of the Great Demon Dog looking over my head at the demon-wolves. My grip on Kishikaisei slackened. Curiously, I my eyes studied the golden gaze of lord Sesshōmaru, his form standing out amongst the shaded road and its surroundings. His gaze wasn't directed at me: his eyes scanning over the wolves before hardening into a glare without paying heed to my questioning stare. With just  _that_ , the demon-wolves turned tail and fled: their quarry too much effort than what it was worth.

With just a  _look_  this man could scare off most demons.

I was unsure whether I was frustrated or impressed by this. Though, the distinction of which was the prevalent emotion was blurred when embarrassment flooded my system. The Great Demon had probably just seen my struggle with foes that he could frighten with  _just a look_ – and that weakness would probably not be forgotten soon: by him, or me. And with that, the flush of embarrassment gave way to a heated anger: one that sparked from the frustration of my lack of power compared to his sheer  _abundance_ of it. The icy glare that was sent Sesshōmaru's way was lost, however, as he either ignored it or had missed it completely.

His eyes were scanning the area, a pensive look crossing his features as he lingered over the remains in the area. He seemed to have regained his strength: the imposing presence he carried with him not limited to energy alone (as I was used to identifying him with). As he stood he didn't seem to be favouring one side over the other, and from what I could tell it seemed like he wasn't feeling uncomfortable because of his wounds. Once again, the feeling of admiration and frustration bubbled to the surface. While I hadn't doubted his swift recovery (especially with my aid) seeing him act like nothing happened was infuriating – it was as if he  _hadn't_  been unable to move only a short time ago. As if Tessaiga hadn't bitten into his flesh. As if Tenseiga's teleportation hadn't been the  _only_ thing that spared his life mere days ago. I bit my tongue and supressed the need to make a snarky comment about his previous state as I watched him reach for the Tenseiga's hilt. He made no attempt to draw the blade, and merely rested his hand on his neglected heirloom…

Could he see the pallbearers of the Underworld?

I couldn't feel their presence now, as my senses were notably reduced due to my exhaustion, but the spirits of the demon-wolves should still linger. Was the Tenseiga finally allowing him to glimpse its true power? The power to cut down the creatures of the Underworld and as a result… return life to those they had come for? Before I could comment on the potential discovery, a shriek sounded from further down the road.

"Lord Sesshōmaru!"

I scowled.

"Lord Sesshōmaru, why did you take off–? Ah, watch it!" The weighted steps of the dragon demon approached, and I stepped out from behind Sesshōmaru's figure. Or, I tried to, and was stopped by Sesshōmaru's hand curling around my right arm and preventing it from sheathing the Kishikaisei.

My gaze immediately dropped to his hand, which held the crook of my elbow in his clawed grasp. It was a strange touch: a light one, his long fingers encircling my elbow but no real pressure stopping the movement to stow my blade in its scabbard. Light enough to not wince at the weight pressed against the sore and wounded flesh that ached now that the adrenaline of battle no longer numbed the heat wracking through the limb.

With a raised brow, I turned my gaze upwards, scanning his face in confusion. He met my gaze evenly, the contemplative look that had marked his features having been swept from his eyes. A strange moment passed, and then another. Both of us scanning each other for some sort of inkling as to what this space was for. What these strange moments had been pulled from normality were for.

"Is this the part where I swoon, lord  _Sesshy_?" A smirk found its familiar place across my lips as a frown appeared on his, the strange moments filled with  _something_  and  _nothing_  having found an end, "Because  _I_  think you came all this way to collect me after that  _ **gremlin**_  found you." I made sure to peer out from behind Sesshōmaru and make eye contact with Jaken as I seethed out the word.

Sesshōmaru's hand fell away from my figure as he turned around and began walking back the way Jaken and the dragon demon had approached.

"How  _ungrateful_  you are to the one who had to save you from a pack of  _ **mutts**_!" The screech stung not only my ears, but also my pride. Though I certainly didn't let the latter show as I sheathed Kishikaisei and retrieved my dagger from the ground, ignoring the stunned girl as I sidestepped her.

"Oh? Says the one who can't even handle  _one_ _ **monk**_!"

"Inoue. Jaken." The unintelligible squawking of Jaken's frustrations stopped as his name was called.

"Yes, milord?"

"We're leaving."

"Yes, milord."

With that, we left the bodies of the wolves behind.

Even as the little girl trailed after us.

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O

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Uuuuuuugh life - why you so hectic?

Anywayyyy...

**Next time on the LSL, an Inuyasha fanfic...**

Rin, Nozo, and Sesshy.

NOZO GOING ON A LITTLE EXCURSION WITH OUR ADORABLE RAY OF SUNSHINE?

More Jaken and Nozo banter, probably...

The road to Tokijin is paved?

How will Rin's arrival change things between Sesshy and Nozo?!

You'll have to tune in next chapter to maybe find out... :3

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! If you wanna check out some art of my OC, Nozomi, go to my DeviantArt account! While nothing too fancy, as I'm not much of a drawer, it can help with some details that don't come across too well in writing! 
> 
> http://theemberwoods.deviantart.com/


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